SummaryIn gene therapy, the damaged or defective chromosomes of an
individual patient are corrected by the addition of new
genes introduced into the patient's DNA. This is a
dangerous and controversial technique, on the cutting edge
of medical science. "GermLine" gene therapy is even more
radical. By altering the reproductive cells, the germ
cells, of a single individual, you can forever change the
genetic makeup of that person--and all of his or her future
descendants!
But who should control such an awesome power? The
government? The medical establishment? Or a hidden
conspiracy of the rich and powerful? Dr. Kevin Kincaid, a brilliant scientist whose life has
been scarred by personal tragedy, is on the verge of a
major breakthrough. After years of research and
experimentation, he has developed a biological vector
capable of introducing new genes into the germ cells of
unborn children while they are still in their mothers'
wombs. With this vector, doctors will be able to eradicate
genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome
for all generations to come. But Kincaid's discovery also raises the specter of
wholesale genetic engineering, of changing the very nature
of humanity itself, which attracts the attention of
dangerous forces, including a ruthless government agency,
an international conspiracy of wealthy industrialists, and
radical terrorists who will stop at nothing, including
murder, to keep Kincaid's breakthrough from transforming
the world as we know it. Soon the targeted scientist finds himself at the center of
a covert war to control the future of human evolution.
Betrayed and deceived by those closest to him, he can trust
no one-not even a mysterious woman who bears an uncanny
resemblance to his long-dead wife. . . .
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