Gene editing (genome editing) allows researchers to change gene sequences by adding, deleting and replacing particular sections of DNA. If used correctly, it can help improve our understanding of gene function and help us create ways to cure genetic disorders and diseases. New techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 have made gene editing faster, accurate, and relatively inexpensive. These techniques can also be used in agriculture. For example, the corn we eat can be genetically modified, producing more yield. It is possible that the corn itself can provide other nutrients that normal corn cannot provide.
When it comes to gene editing in humans, it raises
fascinating ideas. Want to be tall in height? Less susceptible to diseases? Get
rid of blindness? Have a higher IQ? Gene editing can help with you with all of
that. Why not have your children’s genes editing too? The possibilities are endless.
People can become “superhumans”, imperious to all diseases and negative attributes.
What comes to question is “Should we perform gene editing?” Gene
editing is not considered safe by many organizations or countries. In Patrick Skerrett’s opinion for Statsnews.com, he had asked a few
experts on their perspective in gene editing. According to one expert Gang Bao,
he states that there is a lot of unknowns with gene modification and that gene
editing research is relatively new. He also mentions that we need to fully
understand the consequences of gene editing, therefore gene editing should be
limited. Another expert George Church affirms Bao’s perspective. Church does
see great value in gene editing; however, he believes that we need to
understand and manage the risks associated with gene editing.
He Jiankui, a biophysicist in Hong Kong announced that he had
created the world’s first gene-edited babies using CRISPR-Cas9. He claims that
the babies are now less susceptible to HIV. Many argued that gene editing is too
premature and that Jiankui should had not be allowed to proceed with the procedure.
The Chinese government believed he crossed over the line with research and
medical ethics, placing Jiankui in prison for 3 years
Ethically, should gene editing be allowed? One expert Francis
S. Collins mentioned ethics in gene modification. Collins believes that medical
research should always seek to balance benefits and risks, with individuals always
giving full consent. However, individuals whose lives has been genetically
altered affects their future germline. Collin states that future germline is
unable to consent. Collins also mentions equity and justice in gene editing. Who
will have access to germline engineering? The rich?
So should we precede with gene editing on humans? In
my opinion, yes, but proceed with caution. You never know, we might open a
Pandora box.
References
Cyranoski, D. (2020, January 3). Nature. Retrieved
from What CRISPR-baby prison sentences mean for research:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00001-y
Skerrett, P. (2015, November 17). Experts debate:
Are we playing with fire when we edit human genes? Retrieved from
Statnews: https://www.statnews.com/2015/11/17/gene-editing-embryo-crispr/
Tuan,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting medical and ethical issue here. Gene editing seems to have the potential for amazing cures or treatments for some debilitating and lethal conditions. I read an article about doctors in Chengdu, China who were some of the first to test gene editing on a person. The lead physician was Lu You, an oncologist with Sichuan University, and he used gene editing in a clinical trial for the treatment of a patient with an aggressive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Lu’s team removed immune T-cells from the recipient’s blood and then modified them using CRISPR-Cas9: they edited a gene called PD-1, which usually inhibits a cell’s immune response. Cancers will take advantage of this gene in order to proliferate, so without it, the hope is that the edited cells will be able to launch an immune attack against the cancerous cells. To perform this procedure, the CRISPR-Cas9 combined a DNA cutting enzyme with a molecular guide that tells the enzyme directly where to cut: in this case, to cut out the PD-1 gene. Once the cells were edited and cultured, Lu’s team injected them back into the patient.
Treatments such as the one described here have an amazing potential to treat, or even cure, disease. Despite the worries of utilizing gene editing to make “superhumans” or even “designer children”, this seems like a small price to pay for the life-saving potentials it carries.
Cyranoski, D. CRISPR gene-editing tested in a person for the first time. Nature 539, 479 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2016.20988
Hi Tuan,
ReplyDeleteGreat insight, thank you for sharing. I believe there are many sides to this story especially when it comes to engineering the "perfect human" with the desired traits. However when it comes down to disease and limiting the amount maleficence that could be caused by a genetic disorder I believe that allowing someone to live without a disease such as Huntington's or Parkinson's makes gene editing a moral practice. Rodríguez-Rodríguez et.al, 2019) Living in chronic pain or having a debilitating disease knowing that we have the technology to prevent it seem unjust and a misuse of our technology. However by implementing tight regulations on the technology I believe as a society we can use this technology for good.
Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D. R., Ramírez-Solís, R., Garza-Elizondo, M. A., Garza-Rodríguez, M. L., & Barrera-Saldaña, H. A. (2019). Genome editing: A perspective on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 to study human diseases (Review). International journal of molecular medicine, 43(4), 1559–1574. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2019.4112
Tuan,
ReplyDeleteThis controversial topic has always been extremely interesting to me and something I have thought about a lot when it comes to my future children. It raises questions about what is ethical and what is unethical. Is it ethical to genetically modify before birth if there is a medical issue that can be detected early enough? Is it something you would do for your own child if you had the ability to? Another part to this is the money aspect. The rich can find ways to do whatever they want, leaving the middle and lower class to not have the same opportunities for their future children. This is something we discussed in heavy detail in a class I took, Biology Seminar- Bio, Society, and Ethics. As shown in a study done by Gillmore, the effects of the CRISPR technology (technology used for gene editing), the reduction of the life-threatening disease, Transthyretin Amyloidosis was significant in the preclinical studies done and this technology seems to have great promise for the future of gene editing.
Adler, Eric. “Faculty Opinions Recommendation of CRISPR-Cas9 In Vivo Gene Editing for Transthyretin Amyloidosis.” Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3410/f.740363140.793586796.