In the article, “Sickle Cell Anemia Patient ‘Cured’ By Gene Therapy,” Susan Scutti explains that doctors in a research facility in Paris, France have help to ‘cure’ a patient with sickle cell anemia through gene therapy. Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease transmitted through inheritance. This disease causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. Often, they have a difficult time carrying hemoglobin, which is essential for transporting oxygen to
organs in the body. The boy started therapy at 13 years, and stopped after 15 months. Before getting treatment, the teenager had horrible pain and required blood transfusions, which required hospitalizations two times a year. This included problems with the necrosis of the hip, which required hip replacement surgery. To try and fix this disease, scientists removed bone marrow from the patient, took the stem cells and changed the hereditary instructions with the goal that they would make typical hemoglobin. Next, they treated the patient with chemotherapy for four days to take out his infected stem cells. Lastly, they gave back the treated stem cells by means of an IV into his bloodstream. "By then, the new cells that were modified outside the body started to make new blood cells, and we hope this will be stable for the life of the patient," Leboulch said. Scientists say it’s easier to help fix with younger kids and not older people with years of complications. Researchers are now repeating these studies in places like the US, Australia, and Thailand.
I chose to review this article because it is very relevant to what we’re doing in class. Sickle cell anemia is one of many genetic disorders that we have discussed in class, and I found this disease very interesting, but very concerning. I also think that since genetic disorders are very hard to treat, it is important that we follow up on updates on how to cure them.
Reading this article was very clear and easy to understand, but I do wish they added more to help create a better understanding. I first think that they should add some photos or diagrams of how to disease works, and what they did to fix it, to help visualize it better. I also wish they added some directs quotes from the study, instead of diluting the explanation on what they did to treat the study. However, there were no major issues with the article and was still very informative.
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017
Catie Burnell
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Core Biology Honors
May 11, 2017
My classmate Ryan Staunton wrote a great review on the article “Sickle Cell Anemia Patient ‘Cured’ by Gene Therapy” by Susan Scutti of CNN. Ryan did an excellent job of providing a comprehensive summary of the article in a way that was easy to understand. Also, Ryan included several quotes from the article in his review, which backed up the claims he made in his review. Additionally, Ryan did a really great job in criticizing the writing of the article, which shows that he read the article carefully.
Although Ryan did overall a great job in writing his review, there are just a couple of things upon which he could improve. I think it would have been great if Ryan had included some information on other treatment options available for those suffering from sickle cell anemia to compare with the treatment described in the article. Also, including some more details about the patient the article is about would have given readers some more information on the complexities of the subject. However, Ryan’s review was really well-written and described a complex subject in a easily understandable way.
One thing that really stood out to me about this article was how the doctors involved in this treatment research chose to use a teenage research subject instead of an adult one. This would likely have some effect on the outcomes of the gene therapy, since the patient is younger than an adult patient. Still, hopefully the results of this treatment will allow for more sickle cell anemia research in the future to lead to an end to this harmful disease.
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 11 May 2017
Alyssa Lee
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Biology 10H
6 May 2017
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017
I decided to evaluate my classmate Ryan’s review of the article “Sickle Cell Anemia Patient ‘cured’ by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say” by Susan Scutti. The article discusses the potential “cure” for sickle cell anemia, which is an oftentimes deadly genetic disorder that causes blood cells to form a sort of sickle shape that prevents blood (and therefore oxygen) from reaching the components of the body where it is necessary. Ryan’s review was brief and succinct, so I had no trouble navigating through his work and found it fascinating that a cure might be obtained to combat this deadly ailment. He states the facts very clearly, and therefore I completely understood the process behind this “gene therapy”. For example, Ryan states, “To try and fix this disease, scientists… took the stem cells and changed the hereditary instructions with the goal that they would make typical hemoglobin. Next, they… take out his infected stem cells. Lastly, they gave back the treated stem cells... into his bloodstream.” Another aspect that Ryan performed very well in his paper was his critique of the article. Ryan mentions both the strengths and weaknesses, and clearly pinpoints a specific aspect that would have made the reading process better for him. He comments, “Reading this article was very clear and easy to understand, but I… think that they should add some photos or diagrams of how the disease works, and what they did to fix it, to help visualize it better.” Ryan’s explanation of the effects of sickle cell anemia is also brief yet detailed, so that even those who did not know what the disease was beforehand would grasp at least the gist of the effects. Ryan states, “sickle cell anemia is a blood disease transmitted through inheritance. This disease causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. Often, they have a difficult time carrying hemoglobin, which is essential for transporting oxygen to organs in the body.” His explanation is sufficiently detailed in that we learn how the disease is transmitted, what it does, and its significance on the human body.
Although Ryan’s review was quite well-written, there are some improvements that could be made to improve it. For example, Ryan’s explanation of this article’s significance could be improved in that he does not clearly demonstrate a link between this revelation and the world. Although the readers can infer what this link is, Ryan does not clearly state this connection, so this area of his review did not truly resonate with me or cause me to sympathize with the cause. To improve this area, Ryan could attempt to think about this issue on more of a global or worldwide scale, rather than containing the subject matter to merely what we learned in the classroom. Another area of improvement would be some points of grammar and such, such as when Ryan states that “doctors in a research facility in Paris, France have help to ‘cure’ a patient with sickle cell anemia through gene therapy.” The word “help” should be “helped”- however, mistakes like this did not make much of a sizeable difference in the reading process, so this issue is quite minor.
From reading this review, I learned that there are improvements being made to modern day medicine even today, and scientists are slowly but surely making progress towards a better future. I chose this article because I found it interesting how something that we learned about in class would come up in an article- this was a chance to bring our subject material to life, so to speak. This article and review have changed my perception on life because I have seen how rapidly progress happens, and how many scientists are utilizing their skills in their respective fields to improve the lives of people all around the world.
Kevin Leka
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Core Bio H
May 28 2017
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017
For this week’s current event review, I read Ryan Staunton’s report on "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say."Ryan did a good job on the review that was precise and relative to a growing curiosity in society, curing genetic disorders. He did a good job explaining and reviewing the article’s main points by addressing the study that was conducted and how beneficial it may be in the future. Ryan introduced his article by speaking about the disorder itself and how they were able to treat it. He gave a fair amount of background on what sickle cell anemia is and explained the specific tests conducted to help cure the patient. Although this research is fairly new and difficult to study across the globe, Ryan did a good job reporting on this study by explaining how other countries are following in the same footsteps. Ryan used a rich vocabulary which showed his understanding of the article. While he was analyzing the article in his review, he used the same terms found in the article and explained how scientists were able to analyze the patient’s health and judge which treatment would work best. This scientific explanation further showed his understanding about the topic. Also, Ryan’s analysis was well done because his conclusion was carefully written, while giving good feedback towards the author of the article and areas of improvement.
Since he had written such a great review, Ryan could only improve in a few areas. He could have furthered the research and explained why it took so long for scientists and researchers to finally find a cure. Although the author of his article refrained from discussing the importance of finding a direct cure, Ryan explained the importance thoroughly. Ryan wrote a great paragraph on the treatment, “scientists removed bone marrow from the patient, took the stem cells and changed the hereditary instructions with the goal that they would make typical hemoglobin. Next, they treated the patient with chemotherapy for four days to take out his infected stem cells.” He did not have any spelling or grammatical issues, however in his writing he could have discussed more information in his second paragraph and what other genetic disorders have been cured recently.
While reading Ryan’s review, I realized the difficulty behind curing genetic disorders. This review was interesting to read because I had forgotten about how many people genetic disorders affect. The review was very interesting and Ryan’ analysis was well done. Reading the review helped me to understand the growing concern behind curing the most difficult disorders with the help of today’s efficient technology.
Maya Brinster
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Core Bio 10H
September 13, 2018
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017
For my current event, I read Ryan Staunton's review on the article entitled "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say" by Susan Scutti. Ryan wrote an excellent review that critiqued and studied Scutti's writing very well. His use of background information about the medical history of the patient and explanation of gene therapy and sickle cell anemia helps readers understand the article to the fullest. I also like how his explanation of the procedure and treatment in which the patient went through was detailed yet put simply, which made the process clear to me. Furthermore, Ryan did a great job in pointing out the flaws in Scutti's writing by explaining what she could've done in order to help him understand the article better, as opposed to simply listing the problems without a solution. This criticism is thoughtful and shows that Ryan put a lot of effort into writing his review.
Ryan's review was very well-written, however there were also a few minor errors and areas in which he could improve upon. Although this is a rather finicky point of criticism, I believe that the three fonts used in his writing made it hard to read at times. This can easily be fixed by changing the article to a single font. I also feel as if Ryan should have used more advanced diction in order to make it stronger. This is already a sophisticated essay, however, more complex synonyms should replace his some of his more elementary words and phrases, which will make the entire essay sound more refined.
This review thoroughly explains the hardships of medical disorders. After reading this, I learned that the process requires an immense amount of time and detail in order to attempt to cure these genetic disorders. The patient discussed in the article went through months of therapy, not including the numerous blood transfusions and surgeries in which he endured. I chose Ryan's article to critique because I am interested in the medical field, and rarely hear about genetic disorders as intense as sickle cell anemia being cured. After reading this article, I now understand that medical achievements, ideas, and cures are developing at a more rapid pace than I expected, which gives me a brighter outlook on the future.
Isabella Bouvard
ReplyDelete11/29/18
Core Biology 10H|Block C-Odd/Mr. Ippolito
Current Events #9
Scutti, Susan. "Sickle Cell Anemia Patient 'cured' by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017
For this week’s current events, I reviewed the Ryan Staunton’s review of “Sickle cell Anemia Patient ‘cured’ by Gene Therapy, Doctors Say.” by Susan Scutti of CNN. Ryan did an excellent review that summarized and critiqued Scutti’s writing very well. Ryan presented the information in such a way that was easy for the readers to comprehend, most prominent being in his description of the procedure/treatment in which the younger patient received. His explanation of gene therapy as well as the sickle cell disease was very concise and easy to follow. The process in which was illustrated was with detail, however not too complicated. I chose this article because of the title, I was very interested in how researchers were to go about this process and what was done in order for this to happen. In addition, Ryan did a very good job in his description of how the article relates to the real world. He provides a passage in which he includes his understanding of the genetic disorders that are being discussed in Biology class. It seems as if this particular section of his review had much thought put into it, as he outlines some of the information in which was previously discussed in class. In general, this shows that Ryan provided many details in order to write his review on the best of terms.
Although Ryan’s review was very well written, there were a few errors and specific areas in which he could improve upon. First of all, there were different points at which the sizing/format of the text differed. This made it hard for me to read at times: as the first part of the beginning paragraph consisted of a very small font, while the rest of the paragraph contained a font that was larger and tinted blue, as the last paragraph contained the font of the same size although the color changed to black. However, this can be easily fixed by changing the article to a single font. Another thing that Ryan could’ve improved upon is the sophistication of the language in which he used. For example, he states: “Researchers are now repeating these studies in places like the US, Australia, and Thailand.” I feel as if this sentence can be reworded with more synonyms that better describe the situation. With these additional words and phrases, it would make the essay sound more polished.
In general, this review thoroughly describes the improvements that are constantly being made within science. Although the process undergone by the boy took much time and precision in order for the genetic disorder to be cured, he still receive treatment for a disability that caused him to experience horrible pain. Prior to his treatment, he needed blood transfusions, in which required hospitalization twice a year. Despite this, scientists are progressively making advancements with modern medicine that are paving the way for a better future. I chose this article because I am interested in genetics, especially genetic engineering and how this can be utilized on current world issues. After reading this article, I have a better understanding as to how multiple aspects of the medical field are developing at an accelerated rate. These advancements give me more of an idea about how much it will expand in the future.