Which of the following statements with regard to genetic medicine is/are correct?
- 1.Genetic medicines correct/compensate for the faulty genes responsible for disease.
- 2.Engineered viruses and lipid nanoparticles are used as carriers of the genetic medicine.
- 3.Genetic medicines alter the entire DNA sequence.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 2 only
Genetic medicines work at the level of a faulty gene: they supply a working copy, replace the defective gene or give cells instructions. They need a carrier to get into cells, and engineered viruses and lipid bubbles are the usual ones. They do not rewrite the whole DNA sequence.
- ✓ 1. Gene therapy delivers a normal gene to take over the work of, and compensate for, a non-functional gene. Adding a healthy copy or replacing a defective gene is the standard approach.
- ✓ 2. Viral vectors are the classic carrier: NCERT's example uses a retroviral vector to put a working gene into a patient's lymphocytes. Lipid or fat bubbles are the other carrier, as in mRNA vaccines, where they surround the mRNA.
- ✗ 3. Genetic medicines target a gene or its message, not the whole DNA sequence. Gene therapy adds or replaces a defective gene, and a synthetic mRNA cannot alter DNA at all.
Remember · Genetic medicine (gene therapy, mRNA medicines): fixes or compensates for a faulty gene, using carriers such as engineered viruses or lipid nanoparticles. It never rewrites the whole genome.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Biology, Ch 10 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Biology, Chapter 10 “Correction of a genetic defect involves delivery of a normal gene into the individual or embryo to take over the function of and compensate for the non-functional gene.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Biology, Chapter 10 “A functional ADA cDNA (using a retroviral vector) is then introduced into these lymphocytes, which are subsequently returned to the patient.”
- NHGRI (NIH), Understanding COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines ↗ “mRNA vaccines do not contain viral material. Instead, these vaccines contain lipid or fat bubbles that surround a segment of mRNA, which provide cells with the instructions to make a certain viral protein.”
- NHGRI (NIH), Talking Glossary: Gene Therapy ↗ “Often, gene therapy works by adding new copies of a gene that is broken, or by replacing a defective or missing gene in a patient’s cells with a healthy version of that gene.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·