Gene Therapy (Health and Medical Issues Today)

Each day, newspapers and television programs present stories about the latest controversy about the health and medical advances, but they do not have the space to provide detailed background information on the theme. Websites and blogs providing information on the activists and the partisans intent on presenting their side of a story. But where students can - or even ordinary citizens - ga for obtaining objective, detailed background information on medical issues relating to their daily lives? This volume in the health and medical issues Today series provides readers and researchers a balanced, thorough introduction to the medical, scientific, legal and cultural issues surrounding gene therapy and imports in the contemporary world of health care. Gene Therapy is organized to provide researchers with easy access to the information they need: BLSection 1 gives overview chapters on the background information needed to intelligently understand the problems and controversies surrounding gene therapy, such as the history of the theories of the gene and the recent developments in clinical trials BLSection 2 offers capsule examinations of contemporary issues and debates lead to the most heated disagreements and misunderstandings, such as whether the man should "tinker" with genetic material and who pays for genetic therapies. BLSection 3 contains reference material on stem cells, including primary source documents of the major players in the battle over gene therapy, a timeline of major events, and an annotated bibliography of useful print and electronic resources. This volume in the health and medical issues Today series offers everything a student needs to understand the problems involved in gene therapy and provides a springboard for further investigation into the matter.