Science, Technology and Society

5. FLOW CHART

THE BASIC GENE THERAPY PROCESS

IDENTIFY
-Identify a mutual gene that causes disease
The first process is to identify a mutual gene that causes disease with
a healthy copy of gene. The gene that needs to be altered or replaced
must be first identified. The correctly functioning gene that replaces
the defective gene must first be isolated then duplicated.

DUPLICATE
-duplication of that gene
The genes that were removed from the genome can be duplicated
easily by PCR. PCR is a process where the genetic sequence of the
gene is replicated by the introduction of base pairs in the sequence
along with the replication enzymes, which induce, cause, and

INSERT
-insertion of the gene into the human genome needing the gene
The last step is to insert the gene into the cell that needs it. It can be
done either in-vivo or ex-vivo. In in-vivo therapy, a vector (generally
a retro-virus) is modified with the desired gene and injected into the
cells that needs the product of the gene. While in ex-vivo therapy, it
is when the defective cells are removed from the body. The cells are
then injected with the gene mechanically or naturally by a vector.
The engineered cells are then reintroduced into the organism where
they were removed from.