Muscular Dystrophy Essay

CRISPR is a new gene-modifying tool that has the potential to treat numerous medical conditions by editing genes that are responsible for certain diseases. This technology is based on the ability of bacteria to destroy the DNA of invading viruses. Studies have suggested that this new technology can be applied to human cells, although the idea of chopping up regions of the human genome can be unethical and could even be harmful. In order for the treatment to be administered to a patient, a small piece of RNA and an enzyme that makes a cut in the DNA are delivered to the cells. A biotechnology company, known as Editas Medicine, located in Cambridge, MA, is already designing treatments for conditions of the blood and the eye using CRISPR. For

Mullis came to light. This technology seemed to to hold a promise that it would end human suffering, that it would be the road to a perfect world, where diseases were no longer a threat and pesticides would become an archaic method of the past. This new technology was called PCR, and it was the earliest form of gene editing. Fast forward to today, where another great leap in the science of gene editing has just occurred - one that might be exactly what everyone thought PCR would turn into. This leap has been dubbed CRISPR, and its capabilities make PCR look like, well, nothing. CRISPR uses a device originally found in bacteria called CAS-9 to precisely snip a targeted area of an organism's genome and replace it with the correct gene. CRISPR is by all accounts an amazing technology, but there are some who think it should not be used. CRISPR has

Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy is one of the most common forms over childhood muscular dystrophy and primarily affects boys; in total there are 30 different forms of muscular dystrophy 50% being duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (NIH, 2013). This type of muscular dystrophy usually begins to show symptoms around the pre-school age and affects the lower extremities first. By the age of twelve, most boys are in a wheelchair as the trunk muscles being to weaken leading to scoliosis and kyphosis. Eventually the diaphragm begins to weaken and young men with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy will need assistance with breathing through the use of a ventilator (Naff, C. 2012). According to the 1st Edition of Perspectives on Disease and Disorders Muscular Dystrophy by the age of eighteen most young men would have experienced a cardio myopathy (weakening or the heart muscle) (Naff, C. 2012). Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a chromosome X-linked and genetically inherited neuromuscular disease. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy affects 1 in 3500 new born baby boys. Duchenne’s

Duchenne muscular dystrophy has a worldwide distribution, with a mean incidence of 1 per 3,500 male births (Clinical Pediatric Neurology, Pg. 180). The children lead a life ridden with difficulty and physical pain. While kids their age are seen running around playing, these boys rapidly loose functional use of their limbs. There are also many other problems associated with muscle wasting. To be sure that the child has the disease a muscle biopsy is usually done to check for dystrophin levels and confirm that the child does have DMD and not another disorder. Deterioration of

All of the symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy are found in males but women can carry the gene but most women aren't affected by it. There are also different types of Muscular Dystrophy such as Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (Steinert's disease) which causes the inability to relax muscles, this is the most commonly found type of Muscular Dystrophy in adults. Congenital Muscular Dystrophy is found in children under the age of 2 which can cause severe disability. Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy is muscle weakness in the face and shoulders onset normally starts in the teenage years up till your forties. Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy affects the muscle in your hip and shoulders and people who have this type of Muscular Dystrophy have a hard time lifting the front part of there foot causing them to fall frequently most commonly found in teens and children. Muscular Dystrophy is diagnosed by different types of tests including muscle biopsy when they take and test a small amount of muscle tissue, DNA testing, nerve conduction tests where they use electrodes to test muscle and nerve reaction.

Decades ago, if an individual was diagnosed with conditions such as Huntington’s Disease, cancer, or MRSA it usually resulted in a life filled with doctor visits, multiple treatment plans, and rigorous prescription regimens. However, these conditions and the way they are treat could drastically change thanks to a scientific breakthrough known as clustered regularly interspaced shorts palindromic repeats or CRISPR for short. CRISPR technologies has the capability to be used in a wide array of clinical applications including personalized medicine, cancer treatment, and the prevention of heritable diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. With the ability to treat serious conditions and disorders such as these, CRISPR will revolutionize the

CRISPR is a new gene editing technology that has recently become popular in the scientific community in addition to the media due to its vast range of applications as well as the controversy that accompanies the topic. Because this is such a touchy subject, it is difficult for the technology to gain traction in the community. It follows that gaining the support of the public is a crucial step if scientists wish to continue the advancement of the technology. One way this can be done is by facilitating communication between communities, specifically, by publishing articles about new information and advancements that emerge, so the public can be educated on the topic of CRSIPR and the field can gain their support.

CRISPR has the possibility of revolutionizing medicine—fighting disease, curing cancer, and eliminating genetic diseases. One way in which CRISPR would fight against cancer, is achieved by removing the immune cells from a cancer patient. The cells would then be genetically modified using CRISPR—targeting the immune cells against the cancer—and then injected back into the patient. Another application to fight cancer involves editing genes to stop cancer cells from multiplying. These uses of CRISPR would be used to effectively fight cancer. Researchers using CRISPR have already reversed the mutations that cause blindness, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia. Parents that are carriers of some genetic diseases would be able to treat the embryo with CRISPR in order to reverse these genes, resulting in a healthy child. These applications all have incredible outcomes; why are they not being pursued by all medical companies

CRISPR is an acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat. This name refers to the unique organization of short, partially palindromic repeated DNA sequences found in the genomes of bacteria and other microorganisms. In 2014, rumors intensified about researchers in the US and China working on human embryos with the inexpensive, easy-to-use gene-editing tool CRISPR. In April 2015, a research team at Sun Yat-sen University in China published a report of an experiment in which they used CRISPR to edit a gene associated with the blood disease beta- thalassemia in non-viable human embryos (Center for Genetics and Society). While CRISPR is cheap and easy to use, many ethical questions surround it. Ethical questions surrounding CRISPR’s human applications are not limited to altering embryos. Gene-editing treatments could spur gene-editing enhancements to give people stronger muscles, quicker growth spurts or greater intelligence, affirms journalist David Wahlberg of the Wisconsin State Journal. Equally important is TALENs, which works similar to CRISPR. TALENs is considered being used in the future within the medical careers. Here’s how it might work in the future, explains the MIT Technology Review. First doctors would remove some of the patient’s own bone marrow cells. Then, these cells would be handed to scientists so they could be treated with TALENs in the lab. Scientists would make sure that the damaged gene is fixed and then hand the fixed cells back to the doctor so they could be put back into the

In the past decade, our world has witnessed and produced some of the most unfathomable technological advances that seem utterly unimaginable and futuristic but is now being developed, unfolding right before our very eyes. These advances include: TV screens as thin as a DVD, high-speed internet, smartphones, and even self-driving cars. Today, we have an advancement that could potentially alter the future of our world, indefinitely. “CRISPR-Cas9”, the remarkable technological advancement that is capable of altering a human’s DNA. Scientists must take extreme caution to the ever growing technology in order for ourselves to be the beneficiary of these advancements.

Recently there has been much uncertainty regarding the future of disease and the human genome. Amongst the multitude of uncertainties and advancements Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, henceforth known as CRISPR, has been at the forefront. Though discovered in “in the 1980s in E. coli” confirmation purpose of this shining new advancement has caught the eye of scholars and laymen alike (Reis, Hornblower, Robb, Tzertzinis 2014). As, since its discovery, it has shown the promise of completely changing the way that we think about DNA. This is because CRISPR can be an easy and relatively inexpensive way to edit parts of living cells. More specifically, it has the potential to be a way of editing away undesirable part of the human genome with then end goal of one leading scientist in the field being “to treat diseases in humans” (Park 2016). The original intent of the developers many have been benevolent targeted editing of genomic anomalies, the implications and possibilities of future use has made both those within the science community and laymen very concerned.

CRISPR has lots of positives. Scientists are hoping that the technique will be able to slow down or stop diseases. It is possible to correct disease genes and pass these genetic fixes onto future generations. Such a technology could rid families of diseases, like cystic

One way in which CRISPR can aid in increasing the health benefits of society is by treating genetic mutations. CRISPR is a new scientific advancement that can treat devastating diseases such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia. While it is possible to get a screening done for a certain devastating disease, a screening can not eliminate the disease that could alter an individual 's life. New genetic technology has enabled scientists to delete mutant genes and insert healthy ones. This gives doctors the ability to eliminate the gene that

Favorable data continues to be published on the potential therapeutic value of CRISPR in CF and DMD, which utilizes CRISPR to repair the deleterious mutation that causes these diseases. Meanwhile, research into diseases that do not have a direct genetic link has revealed possible limitations of its use.

Organisms have evolved over time to become masters of survival . An example of this is bacteria, which have existed for nearly 3.5 billion years (1) and have evolved CRISPR/Cas as a mechanism of defense against exogenous sources such as bacteriophages . CRISPR (clustered randomly interspaced short palindromic repeats) was first discovered in 1993 by Francisco Mojica (2).The CRISPR locus contains spacers, motifs, and associated genes related to the locus to help with the destruction of target sequences. The application of these components in technology has the capacity to change science , as it allows for greater specificity and efficiency than other gene editing technologies such as TALEN (Transcription activator-like effector nucleases)