An important element of modern evolutionary theory is the principle known as The Red Queen (discussed elsewhere on this site). Organisms' immune systems, including those of humans, must constantly evolve in order to keep up with, or hopefully ahead of, pathogens. (The Red Queen in Wonderland had to run just to stay in the same place.) This is perhaps why, despite its theoretical promise, immunotherapy has had limited success, especially in cancer. The environment in which the immune system operates is simply too volatile, and its priority needs to be the acute assaults of infection rather than the chronic siege of cancer. Gene therapy has likewise been a disappointment, for different reasons. The theoretical value of replacing "faulty genes" with "good" ones is still clear, but in practice the obstacles have been tremendous. Our genes have developed to resist changes that do not bestow reproductive advantage, and overcoming that resistance has proven fearsomely complex.
Despite our grandiose beliefs to the contrary, the natural form of evolutionary change has done us quite well, thank you, since long before we put on white coats and looked in a microscope, and I expect it will continue to do so. We tamper with it at our own peril.
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