Category Archives: Human Genetic Engineering

Human genetic engineering pertains to the practice of adding new DNAs to a person to give him certain traits that he would not naturally have. Due to its concept, it has gotten much attention lately, making it one of the hottest topics in debates all around the world. Curious of its story? Here are its main advantages and disadvantages:

1. It can eliminate diseases.Though it may seem impossible now, but this technology can take diseases out of the equation. By detecting and removing bad genes inherited from parents, the next generation would be healthier. Any genetic mutations caused by environmental mutagens can be corrected, keeping mutations under control and making the human body less susceptible to infections.

2. It helps the pharmaceutical industry to advance.Aside from paving the way for xenotransplantation or the process of transplanting living tissues or organs through biotechnology, genetic engineering also acts as an aid for genetics, enabling the pharmaceutical industry to develop highly graded products that can help fight health conditions.

3. It has the potential to increase human life span.As human genetic engineering has the potential to make diseases a thing of the past, it can allow for a fuller and healthier life, not to mention a longer life span. As research suggests, it has the ability to increase the life span of humans anywhere between 100 and 150 years by slowing down the aging process through altering the genome of a healthy individual. This technology also pinpoints desirable traits of a certain person and then integrated them to others DNA.

1. It is surrounded with moral issues.The initial reaction of people to the practice of genetic engineering is whether it is morally right or not. As many people religiously believe in God, they see the technology as playing God, and expressly forbid it to be performed on their on their children. Aside from the religious arguments, there are also ethical objections, where opponents believe that diseases exist for a reason. While many of these conditions are to be dealt with, illnesses are generally needed, or else we would soon face the problem of overpopulation.

2. It can limit genetic diversity.Diversity is very important in all species of animals and the ecosystem, and human genetic engineering will a detrimental effect on peoples genetic diversity.

3. It poses possible irreversible effects and consequences.Even among scientists and researchers, genetic engineering is believed to have irreversible side effects, especially in the aspect of hereditarily modified genes. As you can see, the process involves the use of viral factors to carry functional genes to the human body, and naturally, these viral genes will likely leave certain side effects. Moreover, placing functional genes in the genome still does not present definite effects, which means that they can replace other important genes, rather than the mutated ones, causing other forms of health conditions to develop.

Genetic engineering is one of the most controversial topics of today, and keeping yourself informed about all its aspects can help you form a well-informed opinion on the matter.

---

See the article here:
6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Human Genetic ...

Genetic engineering offers enormous benefits to humans. It has the potential to fulfil the humans needs to a larger extent. For many years it is under practice to modify the organisms genetic makeup.

However, it also causes the number of harmful effects. So, we must weigh the Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering.

Genetic engineering benefits to cure diseases by the use of gene therapy, by organ transplant, and tissue transplant. It also helps to diagnose the diseases by the use of sensors or nano-chips. It also contributes to the production of designer babies with parents desired features, intelligence characters. In animals, genetic engineering produces transgenic animals to satisfy the requirement of meat by humans. The clone animals are being used as the test organism in the laboratory in order to test the drug in clinical trials. It also increases milk production in animals also to produce therapeutic important compounds.

Making transgenic animals or human clone is unethical as said by most of the opponents. Genetic diversity, which is important, in different species it will be no more because of genetic engineering. Instead of curing diseases via gene therapy, organ transplant it may result in causing more genetic deformities in both animals as well as humans. Though these experiments or treatment as not easy to be done it needs a large amount of funding. It also needs model organisms in large amount on which experiments can be done. Creating designer babies is also not a process with any errors. The huge number of genetic defects can occur in making designer babies.

Pros

Cons

Increasing the number of population day by day needs more food for human. To supply the food to the huge population genetic engineering is the solution. Genetic engineering fulfils the food demand. It makes the plant resistant to pest, insects etc. Genetic engineering to increase the food quantity. It also enhances the crop productivity. As plants are resistant to pesticide, insecticide it will limit the use of pesticide spray. This will affect to reduce the environmental pollution. It is also important to increase the shelf life of food so that it can stay fresh for a longer period of time. Plants are going to have the property to be able to grow in poorer environmental conditions.

Genetic engineering can also affect the wild type of crops. As it transfers the gene to wild plant. It can also target the undesirable gene. Allergens in plants produced as a result of genetic engineering can be transferred to human as if humans eat that allergic food. Cross specie barriers can cause harmful effects. With increasing quantity of food, it is possible that food can have less nutritional properties as compared to wild type.

Pros

Cons

Genetic engineering in microorganism produces the large number of pharmaceutically important compounds such as insulin, clotting factors. CRISPR (clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats) system found in prokaryotes can be used to cure diseases by genetic manipulation. Genetic engineering can also enhance biofuel production. Microbes after genetic engineering with improved properties can be used as a vector for plant improvement, and to facilitate the crop growth. Genetic engineering halts the microorganisms ability to cause diseases. Microorganism those are not thermophile via genetic modification they will have the ability to survive high temperature.

Genetic manipulation of microorganisms that are non-pathogenic may develop the pathogenic form of these non-pathogenic strains. Similarly in genetic manipulation of pathogenic strains to less or non-pathogenic strains during drug development may develop its toxic form. Genetically engineered microorganism poses risk to the human health as well as to the environment.

Pros

Cons

So far, due to lack of public understanding about genetic engineering and regulatory bodies. It is not being perceived as safe by masses. Both International and national laws are needed. Certain limits need to be drawn which can only be done by scientists, lawmakers and activists can sit together.

Like Loading...

Related

View original post here:
Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering - Humans, Animals, Plants

Human germline engineering is the process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is heritable. This is achieved through genetic alterations within the germ cells, or the reproductive cells, such as the egg and sperm.[1] Human germline engineering should not be confused with gene therapy. Gene therapy consists of altering somatic cells, which are all cells in the body that are not involved in reproduction. While gene therapy does change the genome of the targeted cells, these cells are not within the germline, so the alterations are not heritable and cannot be passed on to the next generation.[1]

The first attempt to edit the human germline was reported in 2015, when a group of Chinese scientists used the gene editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 to edit single-celled, non-viable embryos to see the effectiveness of this technique.[2] This attempt was rather unsuccessful; only a small fraction of the embryos successfully spliced the new genetic material and many of the embryos contained a large amount of random mutations.[2][3] The non-viable embryos that were used contained an extra set of chromosomes, which may have been problematic. In 2016, another similar study was performed in China which also used non-viable embryos with extra sets of chromosomes. This study showed very similar results to the first; there were successful integrations of the desired gene, yet the majority of the attempts failed, or produced undesirable mutations.[3]

The most recent, and arguably most successful, experiment in August 2017 attempted the correction of the heterozygous MYBPC3 mutation associated with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in human embryos with precise CRISPRCas9 targeting. 52% of human embryos were successfully edited to retain only the wild type normal copy of MYBPC3 gene, the rest of the embryos were mosaic, where some cells in the zygote contained the normal gene copy and some contained the mutation.[4]

In November 2018, researcher Jiankui He claimed that he had created the first human genetically edited babies, known by their pseudonyms, Lulu (Chinese: ) and Nana (Chinese: ).[5][6]{

Human genetic modification is the direct manipulation of the genome using molecular engineering. The two different types of gene modification is "somatic gene modification" and "germline genetic modification." Somatic gene modification adds, cuts, or changes the genes in cells of a living person. Germline gene modification changes the genes in sperm, eggs, and embryos. These modifications would appear in every cell of the human body.

Human germline engineering is modifying the genes in the human sex cells that can be passed on to the future generations. This process is done by a complicated but an accurate technique that contains an enzyme complex called CRISPR/Cas9 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, this enzyme can be found in many bacteria immune system, in which they use it to fight off any harmful infections.[7]

CRISPR is a repeated, short sequence of RNA that match with the genetic sequence that the scientists are aiming to modify or engineer. CRISPR works in rhythm with Cas9, an enzyme that splices the DNA. First, the CRISPR/Cas9 complex searches through the cell's DNA until it finds and binds to a sequence that matches the CRISPR, then, the Cas9 splices the DNA. After that, the scientist inserts a piece of DNA before the cell starts repairing the spliced part, said John Reidhaar-Olson, a biochemist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York[8]. The main purpose of human germline engineering is to enable the scientists to discover the unknown functions of the genes by eliminating specific DNA fragments and observing the consequences in the targeted cell. Also, scientists use CRISPR technology to fix the gene mutations and to treat or eliminate some diseases that can be passed on to the offsprings[9].

CRISPR/cas9 is a genome editing tool that allows scientists to edit the genome by adding or removing sections of DNA. It contains an enzyme and RNA, the enzyme acting like scissors to alter the DNA while the RNA acts as a guide for those enzymes. This system is currently the fastest and cheapest way to genetically engineer on the market today and its uses are endless. The RNA in the CRISPR/cas9 allows researchers to target specific sequences in the genome making it possible for them to alter one sequence and not the others surrounding them. This is a new technology for scientists in the genomic altering field.[10]

Although the CRISPR/cas9 cannot yet be used in humans[citation needed], it allows scientists to target genes more effectively in diploid cells of mammals in order to one day be used in human research. Clinical trials are being conducted on somatic cells, but CRISPR could make it possible to modify the DNA of spermatogonial stem cells. This could eliminate certain diseases in human, or at least significantly decrease a disease's frequency until it eventually disappears over generations.[11] Cancer survivors theoretically would be able to have their genes modified by the CRISPR/cas9 so that certain diseases or mutations will not be passed down to their offspring. This could possibly eliminate cancer predispositions in humans.[11] Researchers hope that they can use the system in the future to treat currently incurable diseases by altering the genome altogether.

The Berlin Patient has a genetic mutation in the CCR5 gene (which codes for a protein on the surface of white blood cells, targeted by the HIV virus) that deactivates the expression of CCR5, conferring innate resistance to HIV. HIV/AIDS carries a large disease burden and is incurable (see Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS). One proposal is to genetically modify human embryos to give the CCR5 32 allele to people.

There are many prospective uses such as curing genetic diseases and disorders. If perfected, somatic gene editing can promise helping people who are sick. In the first study published regarding human germline engineering, the researchers attempted to edit the HBB gene which codes for the human -globin protein.[2] Mutations in the HBB gene result in the disorder -thalassaemia, which can be fatal.[2] Perfect editing of the genome in patients who have these HBB mutations would result in copies of the gene which do not possess any mutations, effectively curing the disease. The importance of editing the germline would be to pass on this normal copy of the HBB genes to future generations.

Another possible use of human germline engineering would be eugenic modifications to humans which would result in what are known as "designer babies". The concept of a "designer baby" is that its entire genetic composition could be selected for.[12] In an extreme case, people would be able to effectively create the offspring that they want, with a genotype of their choosing. Not only does human germline engineering allow for the selection of specific traits, but it also allows for enhancement of these traits.[12] Using human germline editing for selection and enhancement is currently very heavily scrutinized, and the main driving force behind the movement of trying to ban human germline engineering.[13]

The ability to germline engineer human genetic codes would be the beginning of eradicating incurable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, sickle-cell anemia and multiple forms of cancer that we cannot stop nor cure today.[14] Scientists having the technology to not only eradicate those existing diseases but to prevent them altogether in fetuses would bring a whole new generation of medical technology. There are numerous disease that humans and other mammals obtain that are fatal because scientists have not found a methodized ways to treat them. With germline engineering, doctors and scientists would have the ability to prevent known and future diseases from becoming an epidemic.

The topic of human germline engineering is a widely debated topic. It is formally outlawed in more than 40 countries. Currently, 15 of 22 Western European nations have outlawed human germline engineering.[15] Human germline modification has for many years has been heavily off limits. There is no current legislation in the United States that explicitly prohibits germline engineering, however, the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2016 banned the use of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funds to engage in research regarding human germline modifications.[16] In recent years, as new founding is known as "gene editing" or "genome editing" has promoted speculation about their use in human embryos. In 2014, it has been said about researchers in the US and China working on human embryos. In April 2015, a research team published an experiment in which they used CRISPR to edit a gene that is associated with blood disease in non-living human embryos. All these experiments were highly unsuccessful, but gene editing tools are used in labs.

Scientists using the CRISPR/cas9 system to modify genetic materials have run into issues when it comes to mammalian alterations due to the complex diploid cells. Studies have been done in microorganisms regarding loss of function genetic screening and some studies using mice as a subject. RNA processes differ between bacteria and mammalian cells and scientists have had difficulties coding for mRNA's translated data without the interference of RNA. Studies have been done using the cas9 nuclease that uses a single guide RNA to allow for larger knockout regions in mice which was successful.[17] Altering the genetic sequence of mammals has also been widely debated thus creating a difficult FDA regulation standard for these studies.

The lack of clear international regulation has lead to researchers across the globe attempting to create an international framework of ethical guidelines. Current framework lacks the requisite treaties among nations to create a mechanism for international enforcement. At the first International Summit on Human Gene Editing in December 2015 the collaboration of scientists issued the first international guidelines on genetic research.[18] These guidelines allow for the pre-clinical research into the editing of genetic sequences in human cells granted the embryos are not used to implant pregnancy. Genetic alteration of somatic cells for therapeutic proposes was also considered an ethnically acceptable field of research in part due to the lack of ability of somatic cells to transfer genetic material to subsequent generations. However citing the lack of social consensus, and the risk of inaccurate gene editing the conference called for restraint on any germline modifications on implanted embryos intended for pregnancy.

With the international outcry in response to the first recorded case of human germ line edited embryos being implanted by researcher He Jiankui, scientists have continued discussion on the best possible mechanism for enforcement of an international framework. On March 13th 2019 researchers Eric Lander, Franoise Baylis, Feng Zhang, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Paul Bergfrom along with others across the globe published a call for a framework that does not foreclose any outcome but includes a voluntary pledge by nations along with a coordinating body to monitor the application of pledged nations in a moratorium on human germline editing with an attempt to reach social consensus before moving forward into further research.[19] The World Health Organization announced on December 18th 2018 plans to convene an intentional committee on clinical germline editing.[20]

As it stands, there is much controversy surrounding human germline engineering. Editing the genes of human embryos is very different, and raises great social and ethical concerns. The scientific community, and global community, are quite divided regarding whether or not human germline engineering should be practiced or not. It is currently banned in many of the leading, developed countries, and highly regulated in the others due to ethical issues.[21] The large debate lies in the possibility of eugenics if human germline engineering were to be practiced clinically. This topic is hotly debated because the side opposing human germline modification believes that it will be used to create humans with "perfect", or "desirable" traits.[21][22][23][24][25] Those in favor of human germline modification see it as a potential medical tool, or a medical cure for certain diseases that lie within the genetic code.[22] There is a debate as to if this is morally acceptable as well. Such debate ranges from the ethical obligation to use safe and efficient technology to prevent disease to seeing actual benefit in genetic disabilities.[26] While typically there is a clash between religion and science, the topic of human germline engineering has shown some unity between the two fields. Several religious positions have been published with regards to human germline engineering. According to them, many see germline modification as being more moral than the alternative, which would be either discarding of the embryo, or birth of a diseased human.[22][24][25] The main conditions when it comes to whether or not it is morally and ethically acceptable lie within the intent of the modification, and the conditions in which the engineering is done.

The process of modifying the human genome has raised ethical questions. One of the issues is off target effects, large genomes may contain identical or homologous DNA sequences, and the enzyme complex CRISPR/Cas9 may unintentionally cleave these DNA sequences causing mutations that may lead to cell death.[27]

Another very interesting point on the debate of whether or not it is ethical and moral to engineer the human germline is a perspective of looking at past technologies and how they have evolved. Dr. Gregory Stock discusses the use of several diagnostic tests used to monitor current pregnancies and several diagnostic tests that can be done to determine the health of embryos.[23] Such tests include amniocentesis, ultrasounds, and other preimplantation genetic diagnostic tests. These tests are quite common, and reliable, as we talk about them today; however, in the past when they were first introduced, they too were scrutinized.[23]

One of the main arguments against human germline engineering lies in the ethical feeling that it will dehumanize children. At an extreme, parents may be able to completely design their own child, and there is a fear that this will transform children into objects, rather than human beings.[23][24][25] There is also a large opposition as people state that by engineering the human germline, there is an attempt at "playing God", and there is a strong opposition to this. One final, and very possible issue that causes a strong opposition of this technology is one that lies within the scientific community itself. Inevitably, this technology would be used for enhancements to the genome, which would likely cause many more to use these same enhancements. By doing this, the genetic diversity of the human race and the human gene pool as we know it would slowly and surely diminish.[23] Despite the controversy surrounding the topic of human germline engineering, it is slowly and very carefully making its way into many labs around the world. These experiments are highly regulated, and they do not include the use of viable human embryos, which allows scientists to refine the techniques, without posing a threat to any real human beings.[23]

The creation of genetically modified humans may have been performed in the mid-1990s, in which a 1997 study published in The Lancet claimed, the first case of human germ-line genetic modification resulting in normal healthy children..[28][29] In November 2018, researcher Jiankui He claimed that he had created the first human genetically edited babies, known by their pseudonyms, Lulu (Chinese: ) and Nana (Chinese: ).[5][6] Researcher Alcino J. Silva has discovered an impact the CCR5 gene has has on the memory function the brain.[30] Silva speculates the brain function of Lulu and Nana likely has been impacted but that the exact consequences of the edit are impossible to predict. Studies have shown mice who have had the CCR5 gene have shown a marked improvement in the function of their memory and brain recovery after stroke.

The first known publication of research into human germline editing was by a group of Chinese scientists in April 2015 in the Journal "Protein and Cell".[31] The scientists used tripronuclear (3PN) zygotes, zygotes fertilized by two sperm and therefore non-viable, to investigate CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in human cells, something that had never been attempted before. The scientists found that while CRISPR/Cas9 could effectively cleave the -globin gene (HBB), the efficiency of homologous recombination directed repair of HBB was highly inefficient and did not do so in a majority of the trials. Problems arose such as off target cleavage and the competitive recombination of the endogenous delta-globin with the HBB lead to unexpected mutation. The results of the study indicated that repair of HBB in the embryos occurred preferentially through alternative pathways. In the end only 4 of the 54 zygotes carried the intended genetic information, and even then the successfully edited embryos were mosaics containing the preferential genetic code and the mutation. The conclusion of the scientists was that further effort was needed in to improve the precision and efficiency of CRISPER/Cas9 gene editing.

In March 2017 a group of Chinese scientists claimed to have edited three normal viable human embryos out of six total in the experiment.[32] The study showed that CRISPR/Cas9 is could effectively be used as a gene-editing tool in human 2PN zygotes, which could lead potentially pregnancy viable if implanted. The scientists used injection of Cas9 protein complexed with the relevant sgRNAs and homology donors into human embryos. The scientists found homologous recombination-mediated alteration in HBB and G6PD. The scientists also noted the limitations of their study and called for further research.

In August 2017 a group of scientists from Oregon published an article in "Nature" journal detailing the successful use of CRISPR to edit out a mutation responsible for congenital heart disease.[33] The study looked at heterozygous MYBPC3 mutation in human embryos. The study claimed precise CRISPR/Cas9 and homology-directed repair response with high accuracy and percision. Double-strand breaks at the mutant paternal allele were repaired using the homologous wild-type gene. By modifying the cell cycle stage at which the DSB was induced, they were able to avoid mosaicism, which had been seen in earlier similar studies, in cleaving embryos and achieve a large percentage of homozygous embryos carrying the wild-type MYBPC3 gene without evidence of unintended mutations. The scientists concluded that the technique may be used for the correction of mutations in human embryos. The claims of this study were however pushed back on by critics who argued the evidence was overall unpersuasive.

In June 2018 a group of scientists published and article in "Nature" journal indicating a potential link for edited cells having increased potential turn cancerous.[34] The scientists reported that genome editing by CRISPR/Cas9 induced DNA damage response and the cell cycle stopped. The study was conducted in human retinal pigment epithelial cells, and the use of CRISPR lead to a selection against cells with a functional p53 pathway. The conclusion of the study would suggest that p53 inhibition might increase efficiency of human germline editing and that p53 function would need to be watched when developing CRISPR/Cas9 based therapy.

In November 2018 a group of Chinese scientists published research in the journal "Molecular Therapy" detailing their use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology to correct a single mistaken amino acid successfully in 16 out of 18 attempts in a human embryo.[35] The unusual level of precision was achieved by the use of a base editor (BE) system which was constructed by fusing the deaminase to the dCas9 protein. The BE system efficiently edits the targeted C to T or G to A without the use of a donor and without DBS formation. The study focused on the FBN1 mutation that is causative for Marfan syndrome. The study provides proof positive for the corrective value of gene therapy for the FBN1 mutation in both somatic cells and germline cells. The study is noted for its relative precision which is a departure from past results of CRISPER-Cas9 studies.

The most controversial research to date has been the work of He Jiankui who presented his research at Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in November 2018.[36] Jianku claimed to have implanted embryos that were successfully modified with a mutation in the CCR5 gene with the intent of preventing HIV transmission. The result of his experiment was the birth of two female children code named Lulu and Nana. The reaction against the announcement was swift and met with widespread international denunciation. Further details of Jianku's research have yet to be published aside from what was announced at the summit. Since the reveal of the research Jiankui's position at Southern University of Science and Technology has been terminated and he has been under a state of house arrest for his work and may even face the death penalty.[37]

See the rest here:
Human germline engineering - Wikipedia

Genetic Engineering Pros and Cons have been one of the hottest topics in life sciences. The first genetically modified organism to be created was a bacterium, in 1973. Genetic engineering applications are numerous now. It includes human genome improvement, birth defects treatment, gene therapy, genetic drugs, agriculture, food, dairy, veterinary, animal modeling, ecological control, material design, space biology, and technology.

The sharing of genetic material among living organisms is known to be a natural event. This phenomenon is known to be very evident among bacteria; hence they are called natures own genetic engineer. Such phenomenon is the inspiration of scientists in this endeavor.

According to a study published in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, one major problem regarding the rise of GM organisms is that they can cause a reduction in the biodiversity (the difference in the traits of organisms) of plants and animals in the environment. This means that the DNA among the individuals in an environment will be more similar, against the principles of diversity and evolution.

Indeed, genetic engineering will always have two opposite sides. While the possibilities of what science can create are endless and the harmful effects are also present. At present, it is important to know the Genetic Engineering pros and cons, the real risks and benefits that lie in how genome science is used.

Before discussing Genetic Engineering pros and cons in detail, let have a look at what Genetic engineering is?

Genetic engineering is the process of manually adding new DNA to an organism. The goal is to add one or more new traits that are not already found in that organism. Examples of genetically engineered (transgenic) organisms currently on the market include plants with resistance to some insects, plants that can tolerate herbicides, and crops with modified oil content. Genetic engineering is used by scientists to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism.

Genetic engineering is as much benefit in human life as we think. It has many advantages:

There are several types of potential health effects that could arise from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism. Critics disagree with the methods of genetic engineering because of:

Human genetic engineering is but one aspect of the overall field of Human Biotechnology. It is a fascinating aspect of Human Biotechnology with the power to improve everyones quality of life, healing all of our genetic diseases permanently. It carries the promise of enabling humanity to survive a wider range of environments on alien worlds ensuring our long-term survival. Human genetic engineering is coming. Science is about to solve some of the worst problems that can happen to people: cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Alzheimers and the many other devastating results that can come out of the random genetic lottery that is the reproduction.

Genetically modified foods, GM foods or genetically engineered foods, are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering as opposed to traditional crossbreeding. There are genetically engineered versions of tomatoes, poplars (for paper production) wheat and rice, but none are grown in the United States. The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy estimates that 85 percent of U.S. corn is genetically modified.

See the original post:
Genetic Engineering Pros and Cons in Human and Food ...

Thesis: HGE has the potential to do many wonders, but there are those who believe that it also could be an abused technology. Should HGE be used be used to better ourselves as species or should it be strictly banned to prevent its abuse? By the end of my speech it is my hope that you have an idea of which way you think this technology should go. Credibility Statement: My information comes from credible sources and I tried to eliminate any potential bias from them.

This topic is important to me because it has the capacity to change my future and affect all of us on a personal level and because of this I avidly researched the topic to learn as much as I could about it. Preview Statement: During my speech I am going to give the background of genetic engineering, then explain the pros and cons of its use, and lastly cover the ethical concerns of the science.

We will write a custom essay sample on

Human Genetic Engineering

or any similar topic specifically for you

Transition: To understand where genetic engineering is going, I think it is important to understand where it has come from. I. The first path to HGE was paved in 1973 by two scientists named Herb Boyer and Stanely Cohen.

A. Herb and Stanly used enzymes to cut a bacteria plasmid and insert another strand of DNA in the gap. This offered the mixing of traits between two dissimilar organisms. 1. This was the invention of recombinant DNA. The first milestone in HGE. B. Since 1973, this has been made more controllable by the discovery of new enzymes to cut the DNA differently and by mapping the genetic code of different organisms. 1. Now that we have a better idea of what part of the genetic code does what, we have been able to make bacteria that produce human insulin for diabetics.

C. In 1990, a young child with an extremely poor immune system received genetic therapy. 1. A few of the childs white blood cells were genetically engineered and reintroduced into her bloodstream. 2. The new altered cells took over the weaker white blood cells and created a more functional, stronger, immune system. Transition: To this day relatively few people have had their cells genetically altered but these advances have made the idea of human genetic engineering seem more likely. II. We know how far it has come but now how far can it go?

This question has been at the epicenter of the human genetic engineering debate. Going over the pros and cons to the science may give some insight on this question. A. The number one pro is that HGE can be used to cure illness. 1. Hereditary diseases could be eliminated by the altering of the mutations through germline gene therapy which would then pass the fixes onto the descendants eliminating the diseases heredity. B. Human genetic engineering also has the potential to overcome infertility. 1.

This can be done by using the eggs from a different mother, giving the child three genetic blueprints instead of two. C. HGE can (once improved) be used to enhance the intelligence of all people. a. This would improve society because we would have less of a chance to make harmful decisions that could harm society as a whole. (Maybe this could fix our budget problems within the government ) Transition: From a pro standpoint, human genetic engineering sounds very promising however; saying that something can be done and actually accomplishing it are two very different things.

III. The cons of HGE may be just as strong as the pros. A. The use of genetics to prevent illness is a great theory but scientists have no way of knowing where a new gene will go once reintroduced into the DNA strand. 1. The science is far from perfected and sequences of genes carry out a number of different functions so when trying to alter one thing in the genome scientists can accidentally alter many others. B. The process of HGE itself can generate new mutations. 1. These new mutations would be passed onto the future generations. 2.

It is a fear that with human genetic engineering that there is just simply too much room for error and we could create an entire population of genetically mutated humans. C. Lee Silver, the author of the book Remaking Eden proposed the concept that HGE can create an even bigger gap between classes. 1. Those who could afford genetic alterations would reap all of the benefits and those who couldnt afford it would be genetically inferior. 2. Ultimately this would lead to a class system of rich genetically engineered super-humans and poverty stricken normal humans. Transition: The genetic engineering of humans holds many ethical concerns.

IV. One of the ethical concerns of HGE is the curing of infertility. A. As I mentioned earlier infertility can be overcome by using eggs from a third party mother giving the child of such a procedure a third genetic blueprint. 1. The main concern is that only time will tell what the effects of this third blueprint will be in the descendants of person who had three genetic blueprints. This could consequently affect the entire human race. B. Another ethical concern is that we are playing God by altering the human genome and basically creating humans the way we want to. C.

The last ethical concern is that genetic engineering holds the potential for parents to assemble their children genetically. Transition: Even if human genetic engineering is not completely predictable many think that it is time to start implementing the technology on a grander scale. Conclusion: Signpost: In this I conclude that although HGE can be radical advancement to ourselves as a species, it has yet to be perfected and its outcomes to be predicted. Summary: Boyer and Cohen started something that today has the capacity to destroy hereditary diseases, cure infertility, and improve the intelligence f society for its safety. It also has the capacity to generate new and unpredictable mutations, create a gap between classes in society, and altering not just one thing in the genome but many without know the repercussions. Lastly it has garnered many ethical concerns from playing God, to third genetic blueprints, and parents assembling their children genetically. Clincher: I end with this: if we decide that the genetic engineering of humans is in fact too dangerous would there be a way for us to stop it?

Read more:
Human Genetic Engineering - New York Essays

Over the past few years, the field of biotechnology has advanced at a very high rate that scientists can now edit plants and animals at the genomic level. Different genetic engineering or genome-editing techniques such aszinc fingernucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), meganucleases and theCRISPR/Cas9 system have aided scientists to alter genomes to create modified organisms.

Like in plants and animals, could genome-editing be performed in humans? Yes. But a bigger question arises here, should genome editing techniques be used to create designer babies, to remove heritable diseases or to enhance the human capabilities? It is one of the most controversial topics among scientists and hence it all comes down to ethics.

In a recent research, Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland reported successfully repairing a genetic mutation in human embryos bringing the idea of genetic engineering in humans closer to reality.

To understand the ethical implications of genetic engineering in humans, it is important to first understand the basics.

Genetic engineering is basically manipulating or changing the DNA to alter the organisms appearance in a particular way. The human body cells contain encoded information compiled into a form called genes, which are responsible for the bodys growth, structure and functioning. Human genetic engineering decodes this information and applies it to the welfare of mankind.

For example, all over the world, several scientists have reported the singing in mice. However, the frequencies at which they sing is not audible to humans. The Alstons brown mouse or Alstons singing mouse is a famous example. It would be interesting to hear these songs too.

Japanese geneticists at the University of Osaka were conducting a research to study the mutagenic effects in a strain of mice that were genetically engineered. Among many effects, the mutation may have caused the alteration in the vocalization in the mice giving birth to an offspring which could sing at a frequency audible to humans.This genetic modification (which was actually an accident) may help in studying the communication patterns in mice as well as in comparing of similarities and differences with other mammals. Some other examples of genetic engineering are GloFish, drug-producing chickens, cows that make human-like milk, diesel-producing bacteria, banana vaccines and disease-preventing mosquitoes.

Based on their type of cell, there are two types of genetic engineering;

Human genetic engineering can further be classified into two types;

In human genetic engineering, the genes or the DNA of a person is changed. This can be used to bring about structural changes in human beings. More importantly, it can be used to introduce the genes for certain positive and desirable traits in embryos. Genetic engineering in humans can result in finding a permanent cure for many diseases.

Some people are born with or acquire exceptional qualities. If the genes responsible for these qualities can be identified, they can be introduced in the early embryos. The embryo develops into a baby called Designer baby or customized baby. Human genetic engineering is advancing at an increasing rate and might evolve to such an extent discovering new genes and implanting them into human embryos will be possible.

Let us take an example of bacteria to understand how genetic engineering works. Insulin is aprotein produced in the pancreasthat helps in the regulation of the sugar levels in our blood. People with type 1diabetes eithercannot produce insulin or produce insufficient insulin in the body. They have to acquire insulin from external sources to control their blood sugar levels. In 1982, Genetic engineering was used to produce a type of insulin which is similar to the human insulin, called the Humulin frombacteria which was then approved and licensed for human use.

An illustration showing how genetic engineering is used to produce insulin in bacteriaCourtesy: Genome Research Limited

Using this process, Chinese scientists have edited the genome of the human embryo for the first time. According to Nature News report, Researchers at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, were partially successful in using a genetic engineering technique to modify a gene in non-viable human embryos which was responsible for the fatal blood disorder.

The technique used, called CRISPR (short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology involves an enzyme complex known as CRISPR/Cas9, originating in bacteria as a defence system. CRISPR is a short, repeated DNA sequence that matches the genetic sequence of interest to be modified by the researchers. CRISPR works along with the Cas9 enzyme that acts like molecular scissors and cuts the DNA at a specific site.

As explained by John Reidhaar-Olson, a biochemist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York First, in a simple explanation, the CRISPR/Cas9 complex navigates through the cells DNA, searching for the sequence that matches the CRISPR and binds to the sequence once found. The Cas9 then cuts the DNA which, in this case, is repaired by inserting a piece of DNA desired by the researcher.

Since 2013, CRISPR system has been to edit genes in adult human cells and animal embryos but for the first time has been used for modification in human embryos.

Junjiu Huang, a genetics researcher at Sun Yat-sen University, injected the CRISPR/Cas9 complex into human embryos with the aim of repairing a gene responsible for Beta thalassaemia which is a fatal blood disorder that reduces the production of haemoglobin. The non-viable embryos were obtained from local fertility clinics. These embryos would have been unable to survive independently after birth or develop properly as they had been fertilized by two sperms. The procedure was performed on 86 embryos and gene editing was allowed to take place in four days. Out of 86, 71 of the embryos survived and 54 of them were tested.

Splicing (removal of introns and joining of exonsineukaryotic mRNA) only occurred in 28 embryos successfully indicating the removal of faulty gene and the incorporation of the healthy gene in its place. However, in order for the technique to be used in viable human embryos, the success rate would need to be closer to 100%.

While partial success was achieved, certain worrisome mutations responsible for the detrimental effect on cells during gene-editing were also observed and at a much higher rate in mouse embryos or adult human cells undergoing the same procedure.

One of the most beneficial applications of genetic engineering is gene therapy. Gene therapy is one of the most important benefits of human genetic engineering. Over the last few years, gene therapy has successfully treated certain heart diseases. Driven by this success, researchers are working to find cures for all the genetic diseases. This will eventually lead to a healthier and more evolved human race.Inspired by the recent success of gene therapy trialsin human children and infants, researchers are now moving towards the treatment of genetic disorders before birth. The idea of using fetal gene therapy to treat genetic disorders that cant be treated after birth has generated hype among some of the scientists. Parents will be able to look forward to a healthy baby. Genetic engineering can be done in embryos prior to implantation into the mother.However, some are also questioning the feasibility and practicality of the therapy in humans.

While genetic engineering or modification may seem easy to cure diseases, it may produce certain side effects. While focusing on and treating one defect, there is a possibility it may cause another. A cell is responsible for various functions in the body and manipulating its genes without any counter effect or side effect may not be that easy.

Other than side effects, Cloning, for instance, can lead to an ethical disturbance among the humans risking the individuality and the diversity of human beings. Ironically, man will become just another man-made thing!

Among the social aspects of human genetic engineering, it can impose a heavy financial burden on the society, which may cause a rift between the rich and the poor in the society. Its feasibility and most importantly its affordability will also be a determinant of its popularity.

Human genetic engineering is a widely and rapidly advancing field. It can lead to miracles. But when assessing its benefits, its threats need to be assessed carefully too. Human genetic engineering can be beneficial to human beings and its potential advantages can come into reality only if it is handled with responsibility.

Like Loading...

Related

Read the original here:
Genetic Engineering in Humans - Curing Diseases and ...