Gene therapy is a scientifically based method of using a person's genes to treat or cure a disease. This area of medicine is variably experimental and is a huge subject of debate. Although is has been used to successfully treat otherwise incurable diseases, gene therapy is also another term for stem cell research. Stem cell research is a hot button topic, and both sides have raised good arguments. While stem cells are not the only type of genes that are used, it is an area where some of the biggest progress has been made. Politicians, religious groups and the scientific and medical communities as a whole have committed a lot of time and research towards both demonizing and praising this area of medicine. Even laws have been passed both for and against the use of stem cell research in recent years.

Gene therapy works on the theory that “bad”, mutated, missing, or damaged genes can be replaced or repaired by “good” genes from a donor. Hereditary diseases are the main types of diseases that benefit from the use and research of gene therapy. Doctors and scientists have been researching this topic largely since the late 1960s, and many breakthroughs and developments have been made in the years since. Blood cord banking, embryonic stem cells, and cloning are all off shoots or byproducts of gene therapy research.

Most times, a “good” gene is simply injected anywhere into the host's body. The patient will be carefully monitored until a negative, positive, or no progress is made. This research has also been used to find some of the causes of these genes going “bad” in the first place. Because all practices have not been deemed as ethical for use on human beings, much of this research is done using test animals. Testing using viruses, Germ line (a method that uses spermatozoa and eggs) and hybrid are some examples of largely experimental methods that are used on lab animals. It is the hope of those involved that once more conclusive results are achieved people will start to benefit more from research.