Eric S. Grace

In the following viewpoint, science writer Eric S. Grace explains how scientists hope to use genetic engineering to treat and cure genetic diseases. One promising technique, Grace explains, is gene therapy, which involves using genetically altered blood cells or viruses to introduce new genes into a person’s body. Genetically engineering bacteria to produce medicines and using gene splicing techniques to make vaccines safer and more effective are other major areas of research. Crucial to all these techniques, writes Grace, is the Human Genome Project, which is in the process of mapping all human chromosomes. Grace is the author of Biotechnology Unzipped: Promises and Realities.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How did researchers first use gene therapy to treat adenosine deaminase (ADA), as described by the author?
2. What, according to...