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Gene Therapy.
Somatic and Germline Gene Therapy
| Somatic | Germline |
|---|---|
| The functioning allele is inserted into the target cell | The functioning allele is inserted into the germline cells. |
| The treatment is short-lived and has to be repeated often. This is because the specialised cells containing the gene do not divide to pass on the allele. | All the cells derived from the germline cells will contain a copy of the functioning allele. The offspring may also contain a copy of the functioning allele. |
| It is more difficult to get the allele into the cell in a functioning state. Genetically modified viruses have been tried but the host becomes immune to them. Liposomes are used but they are not very effective. | It is easier to get the allele into the cell but it is banned to engineer human embryo's for ethical reasons. |
| Any genetic manipulations are restricted to the actual patient. | Any genetic manipulations could be passed on to the patients children. |