Genome Editing Essay

First of all, it could be possible to change disease genes and change the risk of getting diseases for future generations (Doc. 3). It might also be possible “to install genes that offer lifelong protection against infection.” (Doc. 3). It is also voted most popular to genetically change humans for the cause of reducing the risk of serious diseases than to make the baby more intelligent (Doc. 4). Lastly, germline editing could also potentially decrease or eliminate many serious genetic diseases, which would reduce human suffering worldwide (OI).

Once the complex was bound to the DNA, a cut would be made to eliminate and destroy the invaders. 83% of archaeal genomes and 45% of bacterial genomes (Shabbir, M. et al, 2016) were shown to be able to successfully utilize the CRISPR Cas9 system. These are very promising statistics, so it is no wonder that there has been such an advancement in the past few years to bring this technology to eukaryotic cells, mammalian cells and eventually human cells.

Victor Frankenstein may have created and abandoned a creature, but what happens when you start to design future generations? Any scientific advancement that can have such a great effect on the lives of people has a possibility to be misused. Something as large as genome editing can be extremely useful, life changing, and effect every future generation. Then again, with great power comes great responsibility. Will genome editing be the modern Frankenstein?

Method: There is a method of genome editing called CRISPR Cas9. Borrowed from the idea of a genome editing system in bacteria, the Cas-9 protein can snip out a mutated gene and replace it with a normal gene. This will fix the gene making the proteins that it produces go back to normal so it can do its job. When the patient has an offspring, the offspring won’t be affected since the patient now has the normal gene.

Even though gene editing has been discussed and thoroughly gone through and examined, many scientists are still very skeptical and refuse to even do it especially on embryos.

There have been many cases of accidental modification of healthy genes in the body, which could suggest that genetic modifications to human DNA is far from safe. “What the paper really emphasizes is that we are far away from using genomic editing because it’s not safe. The idea of using this for designer babies is very far-fetched. The technology is too far off,” said Dusko Ilic, a stem cell researcher at King’s College, London (Sample, Ian, ed).

Although highly controversial, I find germline editing extremely interesting. Just the thought of removing a gene from an embryo is fascinating. In the article they used an enzyme called CRISPR/Cas9 as their scissors in order to cut out the faulty gene, which could’ve lead to heart failure. This genetic editing could potentially save thousands, perhaps millions of people from heart problems. When injected with the CRISPR/Cas9, a RNA strand to direct the cut, and an added piece of DNA to help repair the cell. During this process something interesting happened. The embryo rejected the added DNA and healed itself using the healthy copy of its mother’s DNA. This posed many questions for me. One of the major questions I had was, are designer babies possible? Can someone choose what features their child gets? By continuing my research into this topic I found out that although it would be extremely difficult there is a slight chance that designer babies are possible. Although this possibility is very small and would take

Therefore, people should consider not only the cost and attainability, but also the possible negative results and impacts on the genes. Despite some noble intentions on the part of a parent as it relates to preventing genetic defects, consideration of the negative impacts of gene manipulation are necessary. Gene editing should not be used to accomplish desirable physical traits. Furthermore, while the benefits to gene modification certainly seem attractive, there is risk associated with the practice. At this stage, it can be argued that the application of an imprecise technology that is not well understood, has the potential to create unintended generational edits. “Given the unlikely success of creating a “perfect” (i.e. presumably genetically error-free) baby, the high risk of collateral damage makes CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing ultimately unethical” (Sas et al, 2017, p. 1). Thus, while gene editing has the potential for positive results, the outcome may ultimately prove to be

There are many highly diverse Cas (CRISPR associated) proteins but only one that is mainly used, which is Cas9.1 Which Cas9 derivative is found on the gRNA that contains plasmid, which are associated with CRISPRs type II in the bacterial immune system. Cas9 is an important asset to a type II CRISPR system mechanism that is required for gene silencing. Cas9 protein engages in the processing of crRNA and is also responsible for eliminating the target DNA in the type II CRISPR system.1 Cas9 function as an RNA guide for the DNA endonuclease enzyme that is involved with CRISPR adaptive immune system.

Imagine a world where we can control genetics. What if we had the opportunity to eliminate all genetic diseases in just a few steps. Imagine a society where anyone could flip through a catalog to shop for traits to “design” their child. This may seem a little far fetched, however this imagined world may soon become possible through the rapid advancing development of genetic engineering. New and advanced technology has finally made it possible to access and hack the human genome. New gene editing technology called CRISPR Cas-9 has completely transformed the biomedical field. CRISPR Cas-9 is cheap, precise, efficient and ultimately works on all living organisms. Advanced genetic technology that have allowed us to genetically modify our food and clone sheep, may one day give parents the option to modify their own children. However the idea of one day creating “designer babies” sparks great controversy.

John Harris an author writing about gene editing expresses that the procedure can provide more benefit than harm. John illustrates in the article, “yes, their are issues with the process,but the amount of breakthrough that can be achieved s able to have the issues be overlooked”(Harris). Even though there are issues with the experimentation the scientific advancement this can provide will help change the future. When the gene editing is finally complete and mastered by the bio-technicians, it can help save lives. Even with the risks presented the scientific community is leaning in favor for the process, because of the long term benefits it can

Human genome editing was once viewed as an unattainable goal. It was seen as something that was only seen in sci-fi movies. However, thanks to rapid improvements in biotechnology, it is no longer a question of if, but a question of when.

If a treatment is implicated before the child is born – germline gene therapy – he or she could lose all trace of that defective gene, and therefore wouldn’t pass the disease on to future generations. In somatic gene therapy, treatment is conducted when the patient is an

One of the few positives about genetic modifications is that can help remove diseases that are inherited from parents. A parent’s dream is to have a child that is born a hundred percent healthy. But realistically we know that does not happen. Children may be born with illness that carries through from childhood into adulthood. Of course, parent’s do not want to see their children sick or even to see them suffer. The upside of genetic engineering is that it can be the answer to providing a life that is healthy and disease free. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows viable embryos to be screened for various genetic traits, such as sex-linked diseases, before implanting them in the mother. Through PGD, physicians can select embryos that are not predisposed to certain genetic conditions (Ly, 2011). With families knowing that they have particular types of horrid diseases and illnesses, they know that passing them on to their child or children

As designer babies emerge from the genetically adjusting inherited traits, the prevalence of genetic disorders can ultimately diminish. Genetic disorders such as “Tay-Sachs, Sickle Cell, Hemophilia, and Cystic Fibrosis” have no established cure as of today; however, gene therapy in a developing embryo can eliminate