Considered one of the most controversial advances in the scientific world, it is hard to ignore the incredible benefits that gene therapy has to offer. With many potential treatments aimed at targeting some rather serious diseases, this area has received a lot of support. Although gene therapy remains at the forefront of change, much discussion has been sparked due to several potential downsides. These drawbacks, significant as they are, should not be overlooked, because the risk of lives is not a fair price to pay for innovation in health care reform. Gene therapy is used as a way to treat or minimize faulty genes that drive or cause disease. Genes are hereditary units that are base sequences that provide the coding instruction for a protein. Different proteins are made depending on what the specific amino acid sequence has encoded. Proteins can be different in size, shape and function. Often, when mutated, genes change in such a way that the protein intended to be encoded either is not produced or is made with an inhibiting functionality, thus resulting in a potential genetic disorder. Treatment for this problem usually involves implanting new genes into cells to replace those that are not working or are missing. This process involves a virus used to carry genetic information to the patient's cells. These viruses have been modified to search and detect specific problem target areas. To do this, scientists often use viral vectors or vehicles used as a means of transporting the virus. Avoiding toxicity in the target cell is the basic key to the success of gene therapy. Some viral vectors have proven to be more efficient than others. Retroviral vectors use ...... middle of paper ......e in the 21st century. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Johnston, Joséphine and Françoise Baylis. (2004). "What Happened to Gene Therapy? A Review of Recent Events." Clinical Researcher 4: 11-15. Leiden, Jeffrey M., (2000). “Human gene therapy: the good, the bad and the ugly.” » Circulation Research 86: 923-925. National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature (NRCBL). (2002). “Scope Note 24: Human Gene Therapy.” Available at http://www.georgetown.edu/research/nrcb l/publications/scopenotes/.Orkin, Stuart H. and Arno G. Motulsky. (1995). “Report and Recommendations of the Panel to Evaluate NIH Investment in Gene Therapy Research.” National Institutes of Health, 1995. Available at www.nih.gov/news/panelrep.html. Verma, Inder M. and Nikunj Somia. (1997). “Gene therapy – promises, problems and prospects.” Nature 389: 239-242.