Monday, October 1st, 2012
Interview By Allen Cardoza
Allen Cardoza, the founder of the Answers for the Family Blog, invited writer Ricki Lewis to this week's L.A. Talk Radio for a book review of her most recent publication, "The Forever Fix." This is the very first book of its kind to expose the inside story of gene therapy. The narrative non-fiction publication is a description of how this little-known form of therapy works and the science behind it.
About Ricki Lewis
Ricki grew up in New York City, earning her PhD in genetics from Indiana University in 1980 by working with mutant flies that had legs growing out of their heads. After writing several textbooks and thousands of magazine articles, she is most excited about her first narrative nonfiction book, "The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It." This is the story of a reborn biotechnology that gave the gift of sight to a young boy. In a compelling, novel-like style, Ricki chronicles the ups and downs of gene therapy through the eyes of the children, parents, researchers, and the sheepdogs that have experienced it.
Ricki is a genetic counselor in Schenectady, NY and teaches Genethics online for the master's program at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College. She is also a volunteer for Community Hospice in Schenectady.
The Revolution in Gene Therapy
Allen began the interview by asking Ricki to share with the listeners the fascinating story of Corey Haas. Ricki explained that in 2008, Corey Haas, then 8-years-old, had successfully undergone gene therapy to cure his hereditary blindness. His restored vision marked a breakthrough in the recognition of the immense value of gene therapy. Nine years earlier, the biotechnology had been sidelined when an 18-year-old died in a similar experiment in the very same Philadelphia hospital.
During the interview, Ricki talked about genetic disease, genetic testing, and genetic counseling, as well as gene therapy, rare diseases, and stem cell science. She also discussed how scientists learned from each trial to get one step closer to its huge promise. She explained that she called her book the "Forever Fix," because gene therapy fixes problems at their genetic root. After a single treatment, patients, mainly children with rare genetic diseases, do not need further surgery or medication.
Interview By Allen Cardoza
Allen Cardoza, the founder of the Answers for the Family Blog, invited writer Ricki Lewis to this week's L.A. Talk Radio for a book review of her most recent publication, "The Forever Fix." This is the very first book of its kind to expose the inside story of gene therapy. The narrative non-fiction publication is a description of how this little-known form of therapy works and the science behind it.
About Ricki Lewis
Ricki grew up in New York City, earning her PhD in genetics from Indiana University in 1980 by working with mutant flies that had legs growing out of their heads. After writing several textbooks and thousands of magazine articles, she is most excited about her first narrative nonfiction book, "The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It." This is the story of a reborn biotechnology that gave the gift of sight to a young boy. In a compelling, novel-like style, Ricki chronicles the ups and downs of gene therapy through the eyes of the children, parents, researchers, and the sheepdogs that have experienced it.
Ricki is a genetic counselor in Schenectady, NY and teaches Genethics online for the master's program at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College. She is also a volunteer for Community Hospice in Schenectady.
The Revolution in Gene Therapy
Allen began the interview by asking Ricki to share with the listeners the fascinating story of Corey Haas. Ricki explained that in 2008, Corey Haas, then 8-years-old, had successfully undergone gene therapy to cure his hereditary blindness. His restored vision marked a breakthrough in the recognition of the immense value of gene therapy. Nine years earlier, the biotechnology had been sidelined when an 18-year-old died in a similar experiment in the very same Philadelphia hospital.
During the interview, Ricki talked about genetic disease, genetic testing, and genetic counseling, as well as gene therapy, rare diseases, and stem cell science. She also discussed how scientists learned from each trial to get one step closer to its huge promise. She explained that she called her book the "Forever Fix," because gene therapy fixes problems at their genetic root. After a single treatment, patients, mainly children with rare genetic diseases, do not need further surgery or medication.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about The Forever Fix, then visit Saleem Rana's site to listen to the complete interview with Ricki Lewis.
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