The Process Begins With The Extraction Of The Nucleus,

On the last years, genetic technology have been improving. The research carried out in this area are focused on the early diagnosis of diseases. Moreover, manipulation of genes in the future provides a critical tool for eliminating fatal diseases to humans. Also humans will be able to manipulate genes from birth. But the real question is although can be perform it, we allow it? Everything possible is ethically permissible? Some dramatic demonstrations of genetic modification have been made with mice and other animals, however, evidence in humans are generally considered outside the ethical boundaries. Gregory Stock, director of the Program on Medicine, Technology, and Society at UCLA and author of Redesigning Humans, in his article “Choosing Our Genes” (2012) argues the use of technology to change humans genetic in order to avoid imperfections or diseases. Stock shows genetic engineering as a very useful technology and that applying it on the future to humans, positive results they will gain. Stocks article is effective, since he gives good reasons why using genetic technology would provide several benefits that people wish to have.

The article “Three-parent babies: the argument for and against” written by Sarah Knapton states due the fact that the new technique called mitochondrial transfer can modify slightly the genome of next births, many opinions a favor and against of this method have been raised by ethical concerns. One of the argument a favor to the mitochondrial transfer is that it can benefit more than 2,500 mothers and 150 births a year. How the mitochondrial inheritance is through the mother, the transfer of mitochondria prevents of passing abnormal genes to the next generation in order to avoid mortal diseases, and the mitochondrial DNA is not more than 0.054 percentage without the nucleus of the cell. On the other hands, counter-arguments allege that children

A concept that supports the foregoing claim is the fact that genetic engineering in humans can help diminish and forestall congenital conditions. Moreover, many illnesses give individuals the demand to receive organ transplants; with organ transplants, their well-being would then be reimposed. Over one hundred and sixty thousand individuals in the United States need to receive a specific type of organ transplant named xenotransplantation, or organ transplants from other animals (Siedler 20). However, the predicament that comes with the procedure is the body’s defense mechanisms toward the foreign tissues of the animals (Siedler 20). Genetic engineering would be the resolution to this dilemma - the cardinal gene that causes the resistance could be deleted, and more human

Genetic engineering has been the subject of controversy since it first started. There is a lot of fear and concern surrounding the possibilities it presents. It is difficult to make ethical decisions about genetic engineering because if offers opportunities to solve many genetic problems such as hereditary diseases. The consequences are positive and negative, but there is no way to determine which will have a greater impact. Genetic engineering could lead to new treatments for hereditary diseases, but it could also have long-term adverse effects. Although there are benefits to genetic engineering, the negative side cannot be overlooked.

Mitochondrial cytopathy is a genetic heritable disorder [5]. It occurs as a result of DNA mutation in the gem-line cells that can be transmitted to the second generation. This type of genetic disorder is often caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DMA versus the nucleic DNA. The mitochondria DNA is 20-30 times more susceptible to acquire mutations secondary to absence of DNA repair mechanisms in the mitochondria, giving rise to frequent point mutations or deletions in the mtDNA during cell division[1]. Such mutations are inherited exclusively from the maternal mitochondria. The paternal mitochondria do not contribute to the fetal mitochondria [6]. When some of the mitochondria in the ovum have mutations in their DNA, some of those defected mitochondria will go to daughter cells upon division. If the cells receiving the defected mtDNA contribute to forming tissues that are actively dividing after birth, they will be eliminated by the natural selection process after successive cell divisions. In contrast, if the cells inheriting the defected mitochondria developed into organs or tissues of limited dividing ability, this will result in problems related to energy metabolism in that organ [6]. Due to the random nature of the process, defected mitochondria may end up randomly in different types of tissue and at different concentration. This explains the variations in the manifestation, progression, prognosis and severity of the disorder.

On the other hand, genetic engineering can also be a great benefit as through gene therapy, genetic diseases can be prevented and quite possibly being wiped from existence. Another benefit of genetic engineering is that it can also allow infertile couples to have a baby but to do this would require the genetic information of a surrogate alongside the couple’s genetic information [12]. This could result in many complications which is why there is a great controversy on this matter. Although cloning is known by a plethora of people, whereas the minority of the population knows of genetic engineering which brings up the question, what is genetic engineering?

Currently there is no cure for hemophilia. But with clotting factor infusions and inclusion in support groups, most patients live full and relatively healthy lives. Scientist are always looking for a new cure according to La Kelley Communications (LA Kelley Communications, n.d), and they believe the answer lies in gene therapy. Potential treatment includes taking genes with the correct directions for making clotting factors and inserting them into the cells of a person with hemophilia. Scientists believe the new gene will give the correct directions to the body to start producing high levels of clotting factors, causing the person with hemophilia to develop successful blood

As of today, “testing is 98-99% accurate for most couples.” (“preimplantation genetic diagnosis”). However, it is difficult to determine the correct percent of success rate, because the accuracy, the procedure will vary in different situations. Also, in some circumstances, none of the embryos are suitable to alter. Embryos are not acceptable for the womb if they are not fertilized correctly, if they have not developed to the blastocyst stage, if they do not survive the biopsy or if all of the embryos were affected by the genetic condition. Another method of designing children is a three parent baby, indicating an individual with three genetic parents. The embryo is devised through a special form of in-vitro fertilization, representing the baby’s mitochondrial DNA is from a third party. This procedure is applied to prohibit against mitochondrial diseases. The majority of a three parent babies DNA comes from the parents, but a tiny amount of the child’s DNA comes from a female donor.

However, it is necessary to address the potential negative repercussions of genetic manipulation in humans in the long term. Many issues may seem harmless initially, but as time progresses the flaws may emerge and prove to be detrimental to the process of a whole. So, conscientiousness is key when it comes to an issue that cannot be evaluated until its effects have been analyzed on a long-term basis. A procedure known as mitochondrial manipulation provides a solution for certain forms of genetic disease, but it does not come without its own ethical implications. “These techniques would change every cell in the bodies of children born as a result of their use, and these alterations would be passed down to future generations” (Darnovsky 1). One must consider the morality of essentially creating a child that would have three biological parents. As well as the fact that the genetic changes made are permanent in the sense that they will be passed on to successive generations. Should someone be able to make a decision to undergo a procedure that will affect his or her entire germ line? Especially due to the fact that the procedure has not been thoroughly researched, this would seem to be venturing into unknown waters so to speak. We must urge for a comprehensive review of the procedure from both a scientific and ethical standpoint. Simply having the ability

“Scientists create three parent babies”, headlines screamed; many people were outraged, saying that is was unnatural, and that scientists were arrogant to think they could “play god”. In reality, mitochondrial donation isn’t as scary as it sounds. The mitochondria are small organelles in cells that helps create energy to keep the cell functioning. Until recently, we thought that was the primary function of the mitochondria, however, we now know that the mitochondria contain vital DNA. This segment of DNA is tiny compared to the rest of the genome, containing only 37 genes. However, if a piece of this DNA is damaged or mutated, it can lead to genetic diseases such as Leigh’s Syndrome, a brain disorder that progresses through childhood. A person experiences delayed development, motor issues, and muscle weakness. Mitochondrial donation can fix problems with faulty mitochondrial DNA. If it is known that the mother’s egg contains a mutation in the mitochondria, they can take the nucleus (where all genetic material is stored) out, remove the nucleus from an egg with healthy mitochondria, and insert the mother’s nucleus. The egg is then fused with the father’s sperm, placed in the mother’s uterus, and the embryo now has healthy mitochondria. Over 99% of the embryo’s DNA will be from the two parents, and only a small portion from the donor mitochondria, which only determines mitochondria

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

The nucleus containing the donor cells will produce an embryo with the exact same genetic information as the donor cow. In Further detail, the nucleus which contains the organisms DNA of a somatic cell (a body cell other than sperm or an egg cell) is removed and the rest of the cell is seemingly discarded. At the same time the nucleus of an egg cell is removed. Afterwards the nucleus of the somatic cell is then inserted into the egg cell. After being inserted into the egg cell, the somatic cell nucleus is reprogrammed by the host cell. The egg now containing the nucleus of a somatic cell, is stimulated with a shock called mild electric pulse and will begin to divide. After many mitotic divisions, this single cell forms a blastocyst (an early stage embryo with about 100 cells) with almost identical DNA to the original organism. To make Daisy, researchers isolated a somatic cell from an adult female cow. Next they would have removed the nucleus and all of its DNA from an egg cell. Then

This mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to adolescent. In rare cases, females have mitochondrial defects can pass it down to their offspring, causing devastating difficulties or in the most extreme cases death. Mitochondrial transference can supersede such imperfect mitochondrial DNA with that from a donor, allowing affected mothers to eschew passing these defects on to their children, who then carry genetic material from three parents who are the father and two mothers, including the

In 2013, mtDNA was approved to be used in clinical use in the United Kingdom (Pang & Ho, 2016). This process involves taking the embryo at the zygote stage which is when the egg is initially fertilized of someone who is known to have the mitochondrial disease. This zygote is taken and implanted in another host individual. The oocyte is the lining of egg and will facilitate a mitochondrial disease-free environment for the zygote to live in. The embryo would then have the nuclear DNA from the parents and mtDNA from the host individual (Pang & Ho, 2016). Before this form of therapy, there was no previous cure that was effective for this disease. This method is used for the prevention of the heritable or pre-existing condition of the mitochondrial disease. This disease

Genetic Engineering has developed by very rapidly over the past twenty years. It is also one of the most controversial topics to go through the United States. From the research gene therapy to the cloning of different animals, genetic engineering can save lives while at the same time, endanger them as well. There are many pros and cons which are being heavily debated by political, scientific, and many other organizations. Most are centered on the idea of using Stem cells as a way of curing diseases.