Tay-Sach Disease: A Genetic Analysis

Although this prevention of disease is theoretically possible, public fears and apprehensions have prevented this science from being applicable to humans thus far. With all is known about genes and DNA, the science of genetic engineering has few limitations except moral and ethical codes. The great effects that this new technology has to offer far outweighs the minute possibility that implications could arise. Under restrictions, the availability of genetic modification should be available to allow parents the choice for the prevention of suffering for their child.

     The audience for this paper is comprised of those readers looking to gain knowledge on the issue of xenotransplantation. This group of people is unaware of the dynamics of the ethical arguments surrounding this current issue. This audience does not have a specific age or belief, reflecting the varied positions of the argument. Due to this hunger for factual information, they do not wish to have someone else’s views imposed on them. Instead, they wish to define and establish a view of their own.      

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is a fatal genetic disorder resulting in progressive destruction of the nervous system. Tay-Sachs is caused by the absence of a vital enzyme called hexosaminidase-A (Hex-A

The main concerns of the Commentary perspective were that although there are a lot of new strategies for cross-breeding; a pressing example would be a live organ donation which links the exchanges between extended families with recipient family members, live donation is only possible for paired organs like a kidney transplant. Beginning the search for other sources of replacement organs has expanded. The main concerns of the Attitudes toward Death perspective was the recognition that all living beings understand that both birth and death and may perhaps serve to relativize the request and/ or need for more organ replacements and that may help us to see what is at stake: on the one hand, there is a possibility of an additional lifespan for a given individual who has a lower quality of life and on the other hand, some intervention in the environment is necessary for all other living beings as well. The main concerns of the Animal Organs perspective were that the companies involved in the development of xenotransplants insisted that they are raising and willing to raise the animals in environments that were sterile as possible. Individual animals are then inspected and went through periods of quarantine before admission to the factory herd. The main concerns of the Risk Assessment perspective were that there may be a slight risk to present and future generations, or there might be tremendous risk to present and future generations, but it is rather hard to determine. The main concerns of the Religious Perspectives paragraph highlighted how successful xenotransplants would be about ensuring the quality of life that they give to recipients, how much human DNA is transferred to the animals and vice versa, and to what degree of suffering the process is understood to entail for all the animals

Transgenic animals have been tools of research for years. Some contest its ethical standing by arguing that the manipulation of animals for human benefit violates animal rights, treating them as property rather than living beings. As BBC news discusses, the patents placed on these newly created beings reinforces the concept of animals as property (BBC 2014). By treating transgenic animals as property, we inherently establish that not only do they not deserve rights equal or even similar to that of a human, but they are demeaned, maintaining minimal rights as were the different organisms from which the new one was created. In the event that a genetically modified creature maintains an intelligence equal to or even beyond that of a human, any attempt to use logic to reason the lower rights goes out the window. The dilemma then becomes how do we decide how much rights transgenic creations deserve. ADD MORE ABOUT OTHER ETHICAL DILEMMAS POSED. However, the bigger voices in the community have decided that their benefit to humanity outweighs any potential ethical dilemma, including the potential health risks posed to humans by the medical tools produced through transgenic organisms. Genetically engineered animals help generate nutritional supplements, create human transplantable organs, and assist with human gene therapy. Thus, in the context of medicine, genetically engineered animals are frequently (but not always) regarded as

The consequences of organ donation and ethical guidelines examined so far, only relate to Auto and Allografts in which the recipients and donors are only human and as such the guiding principles so far mentioned can only be applied to human donation. Yet currently there are investigations being made in another technique, which may bypass some of the ethical and moral concerns of human organ donation. This procedure is Xenotransplantation, although the technique has not yet been refined for common practice many people believe this to be a major improvement from human organ transplantation; but this technique does raise a multitude of issues and concerns from a wide range of people.

Lastly, in relation to curing of diseases using genetic engineering is the curing of diseases in animal organs, mainly pigs, so that those organs can be transplanted into humans. Pigs have organs that are similar in size to that of a human’s, but a pig’s organs contain viruses that will harm the human if transplanted. CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to remove these viruses so that the pig organs can be used in humans. Professor George Church’s opinion on the matter of organ transplants is that “Many people are rejected because they have infectious diseases or problems with substance abuse . . . if you had an abundance of organs, you could do it for everyone” (Specter 2). Genetic engineering can be used to help with this dilemma of lack of organs for all people, regardless of substance abuse, and has already begun to be used when “A group led by George Church, a professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT, used the tool to remove all 62 occurrences of PERV [porcine endogenous retroviruses] genes from a pig’s kidney cell” (Specter 6). The result of removing those

Xenotransplantation is the process where organs, tissue or living cells are transplanted between two species. In this case it is a heart transplant between a human and a pig. There are many issues that need to be overcome when it comes to xenotransplantation, as it is still in the preclinical stage. The two biggest issues are cross-species infection and transplant rejection (University of Walkato , 2011). For this process usually pigs are preferred compared to chimpanzees that are more similar

From the beginning, xenotransplantations have been an ethically controversial procedure and for many diverse reasons. Diverse groups are fervently opposed to it: animal rights groups, for instance, are undoubtedly against butchering animals to collect their organs for some human’s sake. Although, most major religions aren’t resistant to the use of genetically modified xenografts to save human lives, the proscription of pig consumption poses some dilemmas for the Jewish and Islamic communities. “When divine providence is not being used to justify the genetic engineering of animals, then some evolutionary ethic of ‘the strongest calls the tune’ or ‘might is right’ seems to obtain” (Sherlock & Morrey, 2002,

Jim 's mother stared into her son 's eyes, grasping her husband 's hand tightly as the doctor delivered the life-changing news. All the mother wanted was for Jim to be normal, but as the doctor explained the boy’s condition, she began to fear he may not be normal after all. The son was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia, a genetic disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells. Without treatment, Jim would have a high chance of dying. However, Jim was given a second chance to achieve normality like his mother always wanted with the help of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, “the process of manually adding new DNA to an organism” (Lincoln 1),can be used to treat genetic disorders such as sickle cell Anemia, but there is a large percentage of people that say genetic engineering should not be researched for ethical reasons. Others ponder questions like, should we just sit back and let children like Jim die when there is a treatment out there that can allow them to lead fairly normal lives? Although there is great risk and danger involved with genetic engineering, the topic should be continued to be researched due to the facts it yields several advantages for humans, plants, and animals.

Should safety concerns stop the possibility of being able to supply organs to those who desperately need them or give infertile parents a child? Is cloning a play at acting as God? Many arguments can be made for and against the artificial creation of life through genetic modification, cloning of living beings, and the use of stem cells in different cases. One will find that these disagreements come about within circumstances related to morals, ethics, and the wellbeing of people.

Introduction: Scientists have developed a way for a pig heart to be transplanted into a baboon, which has been living for more than a year. This breakthrough means that sometime soon, we may be able to use pig hearts for human bodies, when we don’t have any human parts to spare. For this investigation, I am going to find out how Xenotransplantation works, people who are for and against Xenotransplantation and why, and also I will include my own opinion in this investigation.

One of the ethical issues associated with xenotransplantation is the possibility of the risk of infection of

Biotechnology interventions are used to advance human brains and our future to the extreme. The process of genetic engineering is very unpredictable and dramatic that it will have a major effect on its environment. Human genetic manipulation is considered unethical and dangerous for the most part. Human genetic alteration is illegal in many countries, but it is used in some places to cure gene diseases. The process of changing the genetic DNA of when a baby is born can be passed down the line of the persons. Swapping bad and unwanted genes for a better one is part of the process. There are many potential advantages gained from this operation as well as some dangers. Considering the ethical implications of the gene enhancement the result might cause a gene problem. The advanced technology application can make a huge different especially improving the quality of a human being by fixing an unwanted and inheritable gene defects. Many people are affected

The debate about genetic modification has been going on for a long time. On one hand, advocates for genetic modification believe that many diseases could be prevented and it would relieve many people from pain. On the other hand, many critics of genetic modification believe that it is unnatural or playing god. I am drawn to this issue because I believe genetic modification is going to be, if it isn’t already, ubiquitous in our future. In my lifetime, 20-30 years from now, I will have to deal with the benefits and the possible ramifications of genetic modification. This issue is going to affect me directly and therefore I have chosen this topic. Genetic modification is already on the horizon and there is little anyone can do to stop this.