遺伝子治療における「遺伝子」の意味と倫理的問題

抄録

The study of genes, with the development of molecular biology, raises ethical issues in the basic and applied life sciences, including biotechnology and biomedical sciences. The ethical issues are connected with recombinant DNA experiments, the Human Genome Project, experiments on organisms with recombinant DNA in the field, gene diagnosis, gene therapy, etc. In this papar, I am particularly concerned with the structure of ethical problems in gene therapy and I consider it in terms of the biological meanings of genes. Ethical problems in the study of genes at the molecular level have occurred today because we can manipulate genes directly. However, when we know the biological meanings of genes, it is not easy for us to manipulate genes from the ethical point of view. The gene has three meanings: (1) It is the product of evolution, (2) It is what creates the identity of each human being, (3) It is the source of the continuity of the human species. Therefore, gene manipulation is connected with individual problems, the relations among generations, the problems between human beings and the ecosystem, and the whole world of organisms. When we consider the ethical problems in human gene therapy in terms of the three meanings of genes, we can see new problems concernings gene therapy as follows: Can we avoid the problems which appear among generations even if we can practice gene therapy not with somatic cells but with germline cells, given meanings (1) and (3) ? Moreover, will gene therapy exacerbate problems connected with the evaluation of genetic information for each person in terms of eugenics, given meaning (2) ?