Consequences
Before
Our invention is essentially a gene coded with the information of a protein which would stop allergic symptoms due to an allergen that is not harmful, but is mistakenly thought to be so by your body. Gene therapy is a technology where the genetic material of a patient is changed, whether there is insertion, or deletion of certain genes. From our invention, there come certain consequences.
Positive consequences:
Our invention can cause advancements in gene therapy. The more advancements there are, the safer and more effective it will become. With an advanced gene therapy, scientists will be able to do more for people with chromosomal disorders. Not only will it be advanced, but it will also be promoted, and well known. If scientists around the world all knew about gene therapy, then there might be more progress in cures for extremely deadly diseases like cancer.
Many people die each year from symptoms of allergic reactions e.g. asthma. About 150 people die per year due to severe food allergies. Of that 150, 58% were between the ages of 13 and 30.. About four thousand people each year die from asthma, which is sometimes an allergic symptom. Also, about 150 Americans die per year from anaphylaxis, another disease that can be caused by allergies. The AA Protein could help save the lives of those allergy victims
Not only on the extreme level, but also in daily life people suffer from allergies, and our invention can stop all those terribly annoying symptoms: runny nose, watery eyes, throat discomfort, and more. Over 50 million Americans suffer from any type of allergy. The AA Protein will be able to increase the comfort of those Americans.
Allergy sufferers will no longer have to take medicines every day or even every few hours.
Good consequences are what every scientist hopes for from their research, and these are definitely some good consequences. Whoever suffers from allergies would want the AA Protein because it can save them a lot of trouble.
Negative consequences
Some negative consequences arise from gene therapy. For example: gene therapy still has not been perfected, which can lead to disastrous results. Also, your body may attack the vector bringing the gene into the body, making gene therapy utterly ineffective. A small problem in relation to gene therapy is the price, which is rather high, and most people are unwilling, or unable to pay it.
One of the anaphylatoxins that is stopped from being created targets fungal problems and calls the white blood cell, neutrophil, to the scene of the damage. Without this anaphylatoxin, you are more prone to fungal infections. Other anaphylotoxins have other uses as well.
The goal of our invention is to prevent the creation of anaphylatoxins. The difficulty is, some people have constant exposure to the allergen (e.g. pet allergies). This means that our protein would be working constantly, and there would be no anaphylatoxins in that area. This might leave your body a little more prone to viruses, fungal infections, and other infections resultant of the weakening of the immune response system.
Stopping the productions of anaphylatoxins(C3a, C4a, and C5a), also means stopping the production a C3b, C4b, and C5b. Since they are part of your immune system, lack of those fragments could also make you more prone to infection or disease.
Another negative consequence is that it is very common for a person to have multiple allergies. In their case, more than one gene for a protein would have to be injected into their chromosomes. Too many changes in the strands of DNA can lead to problems such as some chromosome strands being much longer than others. (if in a serious case, the problem would be similar to down syndrome) Also, if the genes get too mixed up, it may possibly lead to birth defects.
These consequences could be destructive but they can mostly be avoided if the AAProtein user stays healthy. Hopefully our invention will become a reality, so we would be able to work out the problems we cannot completely avoid.
Positive consequences:
Our invention can cause advancements in gene therapy. The more advancements there are, the safer and more effective it will become. With an advanced gene therapy, scientists will be able to do more for people with chromosomal disorders. Not only will it be advanced, but it will also be promoted, and well known. If scientists around the world all knew about gene therapy, then there might be more progress in cures for extremely deadly diseases like cancer.
Many people die each year from symptoms of allergic reactions e.g. asthma. About 150 people die per year due to severe food allergies. Of that 150, 58% were between the ages of 13 and 30.. About four thousand people each year die from asthma, which is sometimes an allergic symptom. Also, about 150 Americans die per year from anaphylaxis, another disease that can be caused by allergies. The AA Protein could help save the lives of those allergy victims
Not only on the extreme level, but also in daily life people suffer from allergies, and our invention can stop all those terribly annoying symptoms: runny nose, watery eyes, throat discomfort, and more. Over 50 million Americans suffer from any type of allergy. The AA Protein will be able to increase the comfort of those Americans.
Allergy sufferers will no longer have to take medicines every day or even every few hours.
Good consequences are what every scientist hopes for from their research, and these are definitely some good consequences. Whoever suffers from allergies would want the AA Protein because it can save them a lot of trouble.
Negative consequences
Some negative consequences arise from gene therapy. For example: gene therapy still has not been perfected, which can lead to disastrous results. Also, your body may attack the vector bringing the gene into the body, making gene therapy utterly ineffective. A small problem in relation to gene therapy is the price, which is rather high, and most people are unwilling, or unable to pay it.
One of the anaphylatoxins that is stopped from being created targets fungal problems and calls the white blood cell, neutrophil, to the scene of the damage. Without this anaphylatoxin, you are more prone to fungal infections. Other anaphylotoxins have other uses as well.
The goal of our invention is to prevent the creation of anaphylatoxins. The difficulty is, some people have constant exposure to the allergen (e.g. pet allergies). This means that our protein would be working constantly, and there would be no anaphylatoxins in that area. This might leave your body a little more prone to viruses, fungal infections, and other infections resultant of the weakening of the immune response system.
Stopping the productions of anaphylatoxins(C3a, C4a, and C5a), also means stopping the production a C3b, C4b, and C5b. Since they are part of your immune system, lack of those fragments could also make you more prone to infection or disease.
Another negative consequence is that it is very common for a person to have multiple allergies. In their case, more than one gene for a protein would have to be injected into their chromosomes. Too many changes in the strands of DNA can lead to problems such as some chromosome strands being much longer than others. (if in a serious case, the problem would be similar to down syndrome) Also, if the genes get too mixed up, it may possibly lead to birth defects.
These consequences could be destructive but they can mostly be avoided if the AAProtein user stays healthy. Hopefully our invention will become a reality, so we would be able to work out the problems we cannot completely avoid.