GENE THERAPY
by Sarah Dobson, Cammy Contizano,
and Matt Ray
MATT: Good afternoon everyone! This is Matthew Ray reporting for
WDNA
Genetic News. I�m joined by my co-anchors Cammy Contizano and Sarah
Dobson. Today�s special report is on the past, present and future of
Gene Therapy�s effects on the aging process.
SARAH: Gene Therapy is when normal or genetically altered genes
are
inserted into cells usually to replace defective genes-- especially in
the treatment of genetic disorders. Today we are focusing on a type of
gene therapy that could possibly slow down the human aging process. This
therapy would allow people to live longer, while looking and having the
mental agility that they would have at a younger age than they truly are.
CAMMY: Although there is still a lot to be learned about the
scientific process of this type of gene therapy, here�s Sarah with a full
report on what is known right now.
SARAH: This just in!! Gene Therapy gone wrong! Here�s our field
reporter earlier with the news
VIDEO
CLIP- CAMMY 1
MATT: Thanks Cammy. What makes Gene Therapy such a controversial
issue is
not only its physical affects but is also raises many ethical questions
that we as a community must face in the coming years. We hit the streets
and here is what some people had to say about their views, religious
beliefs, and opinions on the subject.
CAMMY: Our last interviewee used �giants� to refer to people who have
a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome. People with this disorder have
severe skeletal abnormalities in their connective tissues, which leads
them
to grow abnormally tall. Their organs cannot support the size of their
bodies,
causing them to die usually by the age of 25.
MATT: People with defects like these that cause early deaths, with
this type
of gene therapy, could have their lives prolonged.
SARAH: We at WDNA were lucky to have the opportunity of talking to
Ed
Goldman, the attorney at the U of M hospital to get the legal aspects
about some issues of gene therapy.
MATT: We have just received word that Ms. Florentine�s trial is over
and
the verdict is in. We bring you one more time to Cammy Contizano with
the outcome of the case.
SARAH: Thanks for
joining us as we gave you a closer look into gene
therapy and the aging process. As shown in today�s show, very little is
known about the possible affects this type of gene therapy would have on
the generations of our world today.
CAMMY: Slowing our
aging process would change our lives in dramatic
and possibly unbeneficial ways. We at WDNA feel that undergoing gene
therapy to stay young is not ethically, legally or scientifically a good
idea at this time.
MATT: In our perspective, the benefits of gene therapy to slow the
aging
process do not outweigh the possible risks, and therefore we do not think
that it is a good idea to introduce this gene therapy into our society
today. Perhaps someday in the future, using gene therapy to stay
mentally and physically youthful could help our world in many ways. But,
until more concrete research is done, we think it best to let people live
their lives without undergoing gene therapy to stay young.
SARAH: Again, thanks for joining us, and be sure to tune in next time!