What’s your opinion on this? Is curing hereditary diseases on a genetic level a scientific possibility? If so, why there’s a focus on supressing those diseases or their symptoms?

  • Cold Hotman
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    42 years ago

    Is modern medicine affecting the human gene pool?

    Not in any significant measure up till now by the measurements of accepted medicine as far as I can see. There is a quite a lot of arguments for the opposite for quite a lot of reasons by quite a few groups. Are they ignored or suppressed? I guess it’s up to the educated individual to decide on what they believe.

    Is curing hereditary diseases on a genetic level a scientific possibility?

    I don’t think we’re to the point where science can with absolute certainty design genetic cures. From what I’ve heard from the scientists we can basically make changes and see the direct results, but we don’t know if or what other consequences there are.

    If so, why there’s a focus on supressing those diseases or their symptoms?

    How do you mean? If it’s a disease, it’s something bad - And a cure, or at least something that eases the symptoms, is something good no?

    • @Tatar_Nobility@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      How do you mean?

      What I mean is that, while we are easing the symptoms, but for what purpose? I think modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have come to be content with the business model it created: Creating drugs for temporary relief, but what comes next? I’m not sure but Is there any genuine focus in say, preventing those diseases in the first place than just contain them indefinitely?

      • One of my microbiology professors stated we treat symptoms since its much easier plus creates repeat patients/customers. At this stage in the game though the focus shouldn’t be on symptoms but genetics without question. Solving genetic variations resulting in too much or too little output of biochemicals is currently possible for select diseases yet results in a one time customer. Due to this aspect, the field of genetic repair has never been an area of true interest for the big spenders as they tend to care much more about the bottom line than their patients.

      • Cold Hotman
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        12 years ago

        I’m not sure but Is there any genuine gocus in say, preventing those diseases in the first place than just contain them indefinitely?

        Well, that’s a whole different discussion from the question you started with…

      • kwj
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        12 years ago

        Is there e.g. a country that started their, let’s say national medical science institute to tackle the topic from this other side? There must be at least one in this whole world, do you know of any?

        • @Tatar_Nobility@lemmy.mlOP
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          2 years ago

          I was doing some digging and found the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU institution. It receives less than €60 million annually (I don’t think this is much?)

          There’s also the Chinese equivalent, the CCDC. This is their website https://www.chinacdc.cn/en/

          Edit: On a national level, I don’t know how much impact they have

          • kwj
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            12 years ago

            Thanks! So we need to get info if they’re doing medical studies on new drugs and therapies.