The Church formulated opinions on these subjects by interpreting Biblical literature and previously defined Church doctrine. From these interpretations, the Catholic Church stands firmly against most forms of artificial reproduction and stem cell research, while it limitedly supports gene therapy.
“Because the risks connected to any genetic manipulation are considerable and as yet not fully controllable, in the present state of research, it is not morally permissible to act in a way that may cause possible harm to the resulting progeny.
The Church continues to steadfastly oppose such techniques as in vitro fertilization, cloning, surrogate mothering, stem cell research, and gene therapy in all non-disease curing cases. The Church feels that these procedures change the way God intended life.
Majorities of all major religious groups say genetic modification for this purpose would be taking medical advances too far. The vast majority of white Catholics (91%) and Protestants (87%) say changing a baby's genes to make a baby more intelligent is taking medical advances too far.
Because people who would be affected by germline gene therapy are not yet born, they can't choose whether to have the treatment. Because of these ethical concerns, the U.S. Government does not allow federal funds to be used for research on germline gene therapy in people.
Genetic therapies hold promise to treat many diseases, but they are still new approaches to treatment and may have risks. Potential risks could include certain types of cancer, allergic reactions, or damage to organs or tissues if an injection is involved.
Somatic gene therapy can pose significant risks to patients and some have died in somatic gene therapy experiments. Germline gene therapy has been more controversial than somatic gene therapy because it involves deliberate, inheritable changes in the genome.
Instead of adding new genetic material, genome editing introduces gene-editing tools that can change the existing DNA in the cell. Genome editing technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at precise locations in the genome. CRISPR-Cas9 is a well-known type of genome editing.
Number of gene therapy trials per year. The US undertook 66.81% of gene therapy clinical trials; all other countries participated in a small percentage of the trials: 9.45% in the UK; 3.95% in Germany; and around 2% each in Switzerland, France, China, and Japan (Figure 2). Figure 2.
Although somatic gene therapy meets the need for informed consent, germline embryo editing poses a more difficult regulatory issue, that is, whether consent of a future generation is required and, if so, who should express consent because embryos cannot consent to germline intervention [35].
The moral value of genetic testing will depend upon the circumstances and intention of the person(s) involved. Presymptomatic and confirmational diagnosis is generally acceptable. Informed consent is non-negotiable. Genetic testing is in itself morally neutral.
In the 1950 encyclical Humani generis, Pope Pius XII confirmed that there is no intrinsic conflict between Christianity and the theory of evolution, provided that Christians believe that God created all things and that the individual soul is a direct creation by God and not the product of purely material forces.
The Catholic Church is only against some forms of Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) that entail the destruction of human embryos. Stem cells are cells that develop very early in the human embryo after fertilization.
Created in God's image, human beings are more than the sum of their genes (Gen 1:27; Acts 17:28). Human dignity should not be reduced to genetic mechanisms. People should be treated with dignity and respect for their individual qualities, and not be stereotyped on the basis of their genetic heritage.
Some believe that gene therapy should not be allowed to develop. Critics point out that in a world that values physical beauty and prowess, intelligence, and long, healthy life, gene therapy might be misused in a eugenics movement that rejects any imperfection.
Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Gene therapy techniques allow doctors to treat a disorder by altering a person's genetic makeup instead of using drugs or surgery.
These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. China became the first country to approve the commercial production of a gene therapy, and it is due to hit the market in early January.
About seven-in-ten Americans (71%) say they would favor the use of gene editing to treat serious diseases or health conditions that a person currently has. Just 10% say they would oppose gene therapy, and 18% say they're not sure. Gene therapy aims to treat disease by correcting an underlying genetic problem.
The potential risks associated with gene therapy depend upon the type of therapy, type of delivery mechanism (vector) and the way in which it is delivered to the cells. They may include: a negative immune system reaction. complications from inadvertently targeting the wrong cells.
There are basically three types of gene therapy: ex vivo, in vivo, and in situ. In ex vivo gene therapy, the target cells are removed from the patient's body, engineered either by the addition of the therapeutic gene or by other genetic manipulations that allow correction of the phenotype of the disease.
Gene therapy products are biological products regulated by the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Clinical studies in humans require the submission of an investigational new drug application (IND) prior to initiating clinical studies in the United States.
There is broad agreement among researchers, bioethicists, and other stakeholders that gene therapy, including gene editing, of somatic cells can be ethical approaches for the treatment of disease.
Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.
Federal law prohibits the use of federal funds for research on human germline gene therapy. Germline gene editing is banned in the United States by acts of Congress although there is no federal legislation that dictates protocols or restrictions regarding human genetic engineering.