Question

A scientist wants to examine a genetic disease in humans. The scientist hypothesizes that the disease can be treated by using gene therapy. Humans take a long time to reproduce and develop, so the scientist will have to

give up on testing the hypothesis.
test the hypothesis for a very long time.
develop new methods to test the hypothesis.
find a way to make humans reproduce faster

Answer 1

The scientist hypothesizing that a genetic disease can be treated with gene therapy would need to develop new methods to test the hypothesis, possibly using genetic diagnosis and gene editing technologies like CRISPR. Clinical trials for gene therapy take significant time due to safety and efficacy evaluations, as well as ethical considerations.

Step-by-step explanation:

A scientist who wants to examine a genetic disease in humans and hypothesizes that the disease can be treated by using gene therapy has several options other than making humans reproduce faster. Since human trials take a considerable amount of time due to long human lifespan and ethical concerns, the scientist could focus on developing new methods to test the hypothesis. This could involve the use of genetic diagnosis, pedigree analysis, and preclinical trials using cells and animal models.

Furthermore, advancements in gene editing technologies like CRISPR have made genetic modification easier, faster, and more affordable. Therefore, the researcher may employ such technologies experimentally to understand the disease and overcome its limitations. Clinical trials might be required and may take a significant amount of time to ensure the safety and efficacy of the gene therapy.

When considering the application of gene therapy, one must also ponder the ethical concerns associated with genetic modification in humans, especially regarding enhancements beyond correcting genetic diseases.

Answer 2

The correct answer will be option-develop new methods to test the hypothesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The success rate of any biological experiment depends on the model organism the scientists use to examine the tests. The ideal model organism used should have certain features so that hypothesis can be verified like:

1. The life span of the organism: organism should have short to moderate life span.

2. Offspring number: the organism should produce a large number of offspring which reduces the chances of error.

In the given question to study the human disease, the scientist give up on human experiments as the life span of human is about 100 years with late reproductive phase so require a long time to record the observations. To avoid this the scientist will find alternative ways to test the designed hypothesis like performing experiments on the close relatives of humans like chimpanzee and mice.

Thus, the selected option is the correct answer.