Discuss five diseases that would be eradicated with the use of gene editing

1. AIDS
- There are several ways in which gene editing can help us fight against aids, one is using it to cut
the DNA of the HIV virus in the DNA of immune cells and another option is to make our cells
resistant to HIV infections. Some people are born with natural resistance to HIV, and with the use
of gene editing, it can make a copy of that resistance and make every cell resistant to HIV infection.
2. Cancer
- Using gene editing, the cells are modified to remove the gene that encodes for a protein called
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), some tumors can bind to this protein on the surface of
immune cell and instruct them not to attack. The modified cells are then reinfused into the patient
with a higher capacity to attack cancer cells. This is already being done in Chine in where at least
86 people with different forms of cancer have been treated with the use of gene editing.
3. Huntington’s disease
- This disease is caused by an abnormal repetition of a certain DNA sequence within the huntingtin
gene and the higher the number of copies, the earlier the disease will manifest itself. And if gene
editing can be used to cut DNA, this can also be used to reduce the number of that DNA sequence
within the huntingtin gene, or correct the mutation causing the disease that would successfully
prevent the manifestation of this disease.
4. Leber congenital amaurosis
- The eye is an immunoprivileged part of the body, meaning that the immune system’s activity is
limited there. This becomes an advantage in sight of the concerns regarding the possibility that
gene editing could induce immune reactions against it, which would block its activity and derive
into side effects. Gene editing can be used to supply a healthy version of a gene that the eye of
the patient lacks that would prevent this eye disorder.
5. Hemophilia
- In hemophilia, an inherited single-gene mutation impairs a patient’s ability to produce a blood-
clotting protein, leading to spontaneous, sometimes life-threatening bleeding episodes. Gene
editing can be used to infuse clotting proteins that would stimulate the body to produce
antibodies that can negate this kind of disease.