Question

A person is born with a weak immune system. The reason for this is deficiency of an enzyme. Suggest a technique to completely cure this disease. Also identify the name of deficient enzyme and explain the technique used for the cure.

Answer 1

The Severe combined immunodeficiency is a disease which results in the weakening of the immune system of a person.

It is caused by a defect in the gene for the enzyme adenosine deaminase. SCID patients have no functioning t-lymphocytes. This disease can be very harmful and it is genetically inherited. This can be corrected by gene therapy.

Gene therapy is the transfer of the normal gene into body cells to correct a genetic defect. The patients are treated with injections of the white blood cells that are engineered to carry the normal ADA alleles.

These patients if they are treated in a very young stag, they have a permanent cure.