Question

We would like to be able to fix a defective gene in a person. For example, curing childhood diabetes or cystic fibrosis would be very helpful. The idea of introducing a good copy of the gene into someone's body, to replace the mutated version, is called _____?

a) Genetic modification
b) Gene therapy
c) DNA replacement
d) Genetic engineering

Answer 1

The process of replacing a mutated gene with a functional one to treat genetic diseases is known as gene therapy, which is primarily used for conditions caused by single-gene defects.

Step-by-step explanation:

The idea of introducing a good copy of the gene into someone's body to replace a mutated version is called gene therapy. Gene therapy is a technique used to cure inheritable diseases by replacing mutant genes with functional ones. The introduction of a functional gene is often facilitated by a viral vector, such as an adenovirus, which can deliver the non-mutated gene into the host cell's genome. More refined approaches of gene therapy aim to correct the gene mutation at its original location. This medical practice has shown promise in treating conditions like cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia, and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).