DNA Based Vaccines

President Obama has decided to request millions of dollars to research vaccinations based off DNA of patients.  Published in the New York Times, the article discussed the possibility of being able to target disease based off of a mutation.  The article references a gene that was found by Dr. Francis S. Collins, which causes Cystic Fibrosis.  The FDA has recently approved a drug which helps reverse the effects of Cystic Fibrosis.

The new drug, Ivacaftor, is the first of it's kind.  Instead of relieving symptoms, it targets the broken genes from CF.  Cystic Fibrosis can be caused by a few different mutations in the CFTR gene, which codes for a CFTR protein.  The protein can be wrongly made, not completely made, or not work properly.  Ivacaftor has the ability to correct the protein to make sure that it properly works.

I believe that taking a genetic approach to develop drug treatment is a great idea.  Many different strands of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant, which is a constant threat to public health.  Taking a genetic approach would eliminate the need to constantly attempt to discover newer drugs.  It also gives the potential for other genetic diseases to be treated.  I think that making the healthcare preventative or personal would allow for more success in eliminating certain illnesses, so creating a new form of treatment is a great way to attempt to solve the problem.