Gene therapy is now in the forefront of options that could be used to treat alzheimers. The gene’s responsible for alzheimers will be replaced by healthy genes and this will slow or prevent the onset of alzheimers. Even though this may be a costly procedure, it will be worth it. The pains that families and friends of alzheimers patients have to go through will be reduced and the elderly will have one less disease to worry about.
Exercising regularly and eating right will help increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Which in turn helps prevent dementia
There appears to be a strong link between future risk of Alzheimer’s and serious head trauma, especially when injury involves loss of consciousness. You can help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by protecting your head.
There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease however, active medical management can improve the quality of life for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease.
It is estimated that as many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.
About 5 percent of men and women ages 65 to 74 have Alzheimer’s disease; nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease.
Deaths because of AD have increased by 66%
Every 69 seconds, someone in America develops AD; by 2050, the time is expected to accelerate to every 33 seconds.
In 2050, the incidence of AD is expected to approach nearly a million people per year, with a total estimated prevalence of 11 to 16 million people.
Scientists don’t understand factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
But known factors are:
Age – The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.
Family history of Alzheimer’s disease – Researchers believe that genetics may play a role in an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, affects parts of the brain that control thinking, remembering and making decisions. It can seriously impair a person’s ability to complete daily activities.
Brain enhancements were found possible in the 1990s by scientists who manipulated memory-linked genes in fruit flies; which produced flies with photographic memories. Now if these same brain enhancements are used not for treatment of Down Syndrome or Alzheimer’s or any age related memory loss and is used merely to be smart, society will have two classes of people; the very smart ones due to gene enhancements and those who are dumb, not because they cannot reason but because all they can afford to have is their natural capacities. In Danielle Simmons’ article, “Genetic Inequality: Human Genetic Engineering,” she explains how enhancements to God-given traits can affect a given society and the world as a whole. If the genes are transferable from one generation to another, then the two extremes in intellectual class will become permanent. In support of this view, the question that Sandel poses is whether this scenario will be troubling because the unenhanced poor would be denied the benefits of bioengineering, or because the enhanced affluent would somehow be dehumanized? Sandel goes on to show that discrepancies in genetically enhanced children and naturally conceived children can affect cultural outlook of society. There wouldn’t be any problems if children with genetically enhanced intelligence or beauty were similar to children conceived naturally. “ However if it turns out that designer children tend to become predictably successful adults, and prenatal engineering tends to reinforce convictions of genetic essentialism and aggressive consumerism, then the shift from chance to choice in consideration may strengthen temptations toward hyper parenting and narrow consideration for the misfortune of others. (Sandel, 2004)” This dilemma with brain enhancement is quite controversial.
Also, children come naturally into this world with God given talents and abilities which are unpredictable and dependent on environmental factors and gene enhancements undermine these natural abilities. Parents have for some time now been trying to choose the sex of their children and today, due to the discovery of bioengineering, it has become possible. Prenatal tests using amniocentesis and ultrasound is one of ways by which sex selection begun. Women have ultrasounds to determine the sex of their offspring before they are born. However some parents prefer one sex to the other and from ultrasound results, may decide to abort a child because of its sex. (Sandel, 2004) These medical technologies were developed to detect genetic abnormalities such as spina bifida or Down syndrome. Even among those who favor abortion rights, few are in favor of abortion simply because the parents do not want a particular sex for a child.
The quest of perfection in children, however, makes mothers assume the role of God and they inhibit the natural formation of their own children. Sandel also points out that gene enhancements “erode parental love and diminish moral sentiments that social solidarity requires (Sandel, 2004).” When parents are allowed the mandate of ‘choosing traits’ for their children, humanity is undermined and the ability to act freely or to attribute intellectual success to natural effort is threatened. Praise or blame of child will be unclear since it could be argued that the child’s behavior is due to genetic enhancement; thus shifting responsibility of a child’s actions to technology. Thus, for parents to love their children, it will be a matter attributable to either natural ability or technology, and this is quite unsettling.
In the case of Down Syndrome or trisomy 21 for instance, which is a genetic disease caused by the presence of an extra chromosome, individuals affected have a lifelong cognitive impairment and decline and an increased rate of Alzheimer’s disease as they grow old. This extra chromosome causes an over expression of the enzyme CBS (cystathionine beta-synthase), and researchers have shown that the over expression of this disease is the main culprit of Down Syndrome. However, to reduce the occurrence of this disease, researchers have suggested that, “if CBS overexpression contributes to the cognitive disability seen in persons with DS, then treatments that decrease the expression of the human gene would be desirable. (Dierssen, 2006)” Gene therapy is probably the only way by which CBS can be reduced.
But is it right for athletes to use this same kind of therapy to enhance muscle strength and in effect improve athletic performance? This issue was raised recently in the 2008 Olympics where Pistorius, a double amputee who had Cheetah Flex-Foot prosthetic legs attempted to compete. Earlier in 2003, however, the International Olympic Committee added to its list of do’s and don’ts that it was illegal for people who had gene therapy due to non therapeutic reasons to compete in the Olympics. Pistorius’ case, however, was different since he got prosthetic legs out of need. He had a good reason to go to the International Association of Athletics Federation for permission to run if he qualified. Despite his good excuse, it was determined that the prosthetics were “technical aids” which gave him an upper hand over the other athletes and so he was disqualified. He appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports and was found eligible, but it was too late. This case is important to other athletes who may receive gene therapy out of need, as these same eligibility issues will pose a problem. It is however a good measure that will deter athletes from using gene therapy for the sheer enhancement of athletic ability. Even though some athletes will have had genuine reasons for gene therapy, a time will come when it will be hard to distinguish between athletes who went in for gene enhancements and those who went in for gene therapy. As Moses put it, “authorities, therefore, will be faced with the difficult determination of these athletes’ eligibility to compete, possibly as early as the 2012 Olympics. It also would be bad policy if future athletes utilizing gene therapy are routinely found ineligible. This might deter athletes from obtaining medically necessary gene therapy due to the fear they would lose their eligibility to compete. On the other hand, gene manipulation performed ostensibly for therapeutic purposes that gives an athlete an unfair advantage also could be problematic. (Moses, 2009)” It calls for good judgment in deciding who is and is not eligible for athletic competition.
In addition to muscle enhancements, parents can choose desirable traits they would like to see in their children. It is understandable that some men are impotent and cannot produce enough sperm to have any offspring; as such sperm banks have been created where women who want to have children can have this need met. Thus, women can chose sperm and in effect genes according to the kinds of characteristics they want in their children. The specific traits some women look for are eye color, hair color and height, to name a few. Even though sperm selection can be used in a positive way in that, women are careful not to choose sperm which have the likelihood to contain undesirable genetic diseases, Sandel raises questions like, “will permission be granted for genetic manipulation to correct healthy but abnormal traits like extreme shyness or cleft lip? Do they allow embryo discard to avoid the birth of a child with the genes for Down Syndrome or Alzheimer’s disease? (Fox, 2007)” These questions are purely objective and each case is different.
The Human Genome Project was an undertaking that sought to discover the 20,000 to 25,000 human genes and make them available for more studies. It also sought to complete the sequence of the 3 million chemical base pairs that make up the human DNA. It was from this project and the study of genomics that led to the idea of using gene therapy for the treatment or curing of gene related diseases. Gene alteration occurred when there was an improper variations in one’s DNA. “This ability to relate specific genes to certain diseases led to the concept of gene therapy, a technique for treating or preventing disease that involves inserting a “normal” gene into human cells to substitute for or supplement a defective gene. (Blair, 2009)”
Genetic predictors of Alzheimers
genetherapyandalzheimers 
