[ad_1]
Designer babies could be here sooner than anyone else. A Chinese researcher who says he has created genetically modified babies has come across what most scientists consider a banned line.
It is unclear whether the statement is true and, if so, how binoculars whose DNA has been altered will behave as they grow older.
There is a broad scientific consensus that rewrite DNA before birth – to prevent an inherited disease or to give a baby a "designer" characteristic – is not yet sure to try to laboratory experiments other than those leading to human birth.
"It's extremely premature and deeply unethical," says American bioethicist Henry Greely of Stanford University.
READ MORE:
The first babies in the world to be modified by a gene created in China, according to a scientist
The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he had modified the embryos when parents were following fertility treatments to modify a gene so that he could offer the resulting babies a trait that few people have naturally – protection against future HIV infection.
"This is probably the worst gene you would choose" to test during pregnancy because it does not correct a disease that children were destined to contract, said Shukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health & Science University. repair gene defects in embryos.
"Where is the badurance that this mutation will lead to resistance to HIV?", Added Mitalipov. "He's testing his hypothesis on babies."
WATCH: Chinese researcher says he helped create the first baby in the world to be published by a gene
Here are the questions and answers about Monday's claim and the state of gene editing:
What is gene editing?
It is a technology that allows scientists to modify the DNA of living cells – from plants, animals, even humans – more precisely than ever before. It's like a biological program of cutting and sticking: an enzyme that acts like a molecular chisel cuts a part of a gene, which allows scientists to remove it, repair it or replace it.
How is it used?
Researchers regularly use gene editing tools in laboratories to study cell or animal diseases, and they modify crops and feed animals for better farming.
But in people, gene editing is still very experimental. A first study in humans involves testing an intravenous infusion of gene editing ingredients to combat a deadly metabolic disease. Other researchers are developing ways to genetically alter damaged cells and restore them to repaired patients with sickle cell disease and other disorders. But contrary to what was announced on Monday, none of these experiments would change the DNA so that patients could switch to their own children.
What did the Chinese scientist do?
The researcher said he used the CRISPR gene editing tool to modify a gene named CCR5 in embryos in seven couples during their fertility treatments. a pregnancy has resulted. It is thought that a particular mutation in this CCR5 gene confers some resistance to HIV by making it more difficult for this virus to enter the cells.
READ MORE: Genetic editing of a qualified Chinese scientist as unethical and dangerous
Today's drugs turned HIV from a death sentence into a manageable disease in most countries around the world, but he said he chose the gene because HIV remained a serious problem in China.
But his claims have not been verified by outside scientists, and the question of how the work was conducted raises questions.
Why are Monday's news so controversial?
Changing the genes in sperm, eggs or embryos means that these changes can be pbaded on to future generations – people who would have no way of consenting to these changes. In addition, the long-term negative effects may not become apparent for years.
In 2017, the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine said that research conducted solely in the laboratory to learn how to modify embryos was ethical, but was not yet ready for pregnancy. The academy said that if allowed, it should be reserved for the treatment or prevention of serious diseases without a valid alternative.
Mitalipov and other researchers are conducting research in this laboratory.
Critics said Monday's announcement opened the door to "designer babies".
"If this is not a problem, other rogue actors will soon be offering wealthy parents genetic improvements supposedly for their children," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society.
WATCH: Dr. David Agus Explains the Implications of Gene "Fixation"
What happened to babies?
No independent outsider knows it yet, which partly explains why scientists are so disturbed.
The Chinese researcher said that a twin had modified both copies of the desired gene, while the other had only one. People with a copy of the mutation can still contract HIV.
Scientists who looked at his claims said that the changes did not exactly match the natural mutations of CRC5 and that the big question was whether the gene was modified in each cell.
The particular method used is common in laboratory research but is not precise enough nor controlled for embryos, said Columbia University cell biologist Dietrich Egli, who called it " essentially genomic vandalism ".
What are the dangers?
The biggest concern: this precision, or lack thereof. Involuntary mutations could harm rather than help health.
WATCH: Scientists are modifying for the first time the gene of man in the body – but what are the risks?
Is gene editing during pregnancy legal?
Your place of residence determines whether or what kind of research can be done on human embryos. In the United States, scientists can research laboratory embryos only with private funds and not with federal taxpayers' money. Any attempt at pregnancy would require the authorization of the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently not authorized by Congress to consider such a request – a de facto ban.
Are there other ways to prevent hereditary diseases?
People on fertility treatments including IVF can have their embryos tested for fatal genetic mutations in the family, such as Huntington's disease, and then implant only those embryos that do not have these mutations. In addition, some so-called mitochondrial disorders can be treated using genetic material from mamma and others from a donor egg, as well as daddy's sperm.
[ad_2]
Source link
