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In a landmark decision that some ethicists warned is a step down the path toward “designer babies,” Britain gave scientists approval to conduct experiments in which they will try to edit the genes in human embryos. There are a few methods of gene editing, but the technique Niakan’s team plans to use is known as CRISPR-Cas9, a relatively fast, cheap and simple approach that many researchers are keen to try. The scientists won’t be creating babies — the modified embryos will be destroyed after seven days. Instead, they said, the goal is to better understand human development and thereby improve fertility treatments and prevent miscarriages.
The decision by Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority marks the first time a county’s national regulator has approved the technique. Permission isn’t explicitly required in many other countries, including the U.S. and China. The U.S. does not allow the use of federal funds for embryo modification, but there is no outright ban on gene editing. Last year, British lawmakers voted to allow scientists to create babies from the DNA of three people to prevent children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. In doing so, Britain became the first country to allow genetically modified embryos to be transferred into women.
Understanding Gene Editing: Gene editing involves deleting, repairing or replacing DNA inside living cells in a sort of biological cut-and-paste technique that scientists say could one day lead to treatments for conditions like HIV or inherited disorders such as muscular dystrophy and sickle cell disease. It is far more precise than conventional selective breeding or an earlier generation of genetic engineering techniques.
Gene editing makes it possible to remove or insert snippets of DNA at precise locations using molecular “scissors,” like altering a film sequence or using the “find & replace” function in a word-processing software. This allows researchers to “knock out” genes that cause disease (certain forms of cancer or Tay-Sachs, a very rare condition that destroys nerve cells, for example), or repair a naturally occurring mutation. Gene editing is already widely used to add desirable traits to food crops or livestock, and in lab animals for research on disease, and Chinese researchers announced last year they manipulated the genomes of non-viable human embryos looking for a way to correct a rare and fatal blood disorder.
Hurdle: Safety is a key question because gene editing isn't always precise enough; there's the possibility of accidentally cutting DNA that's similar to the real target. Out-of-body treatments like altering blood cells get around the fear of fixing one problem only to spark another, and efforts to improve precision are underway.
Criticism:
Conclusion: This research will eventually lead to technologies that could edit DNA in the same way that we can edit text – to correct the mistakes before the child’s development goes to its final draft. Its successful implementation could reduce, and eventually eliminate, the birth of babies with severe genetic diseases. The challenge isn’t in decoding the science of manipulating the human genome. It’s in making sure that those interventions are done in a responsible and socially acceptable way.
Practice question: Altering human DNA with the efficient gene editing method CRISPR was long considered a taboo. Now, however, UK scientists have received official approval to tinker with embryo DNA. Discuss the possibilities, limits and ethics of genome editing.
By: Dr. Vivek Rana ProfileResourcesReport error
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