Exploring issues raised by genetic research

Genetic research provides a way to predict diseases and design ways to treat them. Every person has 100,000 genes but some will malfunction, creating diseases. These become "drug targets" and sites for intervention. Currently about 200 genes are being used as intervention points. It is predicted that within our lifetimes, there will be thousands of new drug targets identified. Through gene therapy, a gene can be altered and a disease or condition can be treated without the change being passed on to the next generation. Only if a change is made to the germ cell will the change be transmitted.