Release date: 2015-08-28
Original title: Genetic Engineering - Editing Humans
New technologies for manipulating genes have broad prospects, but rules are needed to regulate their use.
The genome can be written in just four letters (note: the four letters are G, C, A, T. G guanine deoxynucleotides, C cytosine deoxynucleotides, A Adenine deoxynucleotides, Tthymine deoxynucleotides). It is common to be able to read, study and compare DNA sequences from humans and thousands of other species. A new technology promises to quickly enable it to quickly edit genetic information at a low price. This can correct the terrible genetic defects that ruin life, and it also indicates that parents can use their orders to build their children's distant prospects.
This technology is called CRISPR-Cas9 technology, or just called CRISPR technology. It involves a piece of ribonucleic acid (RNA), an enzyme called nuclease, which is a chemical messenger that is designed to form a piece of DNA; nucleases cut off unwanted genes and paste new genes. There are other ways to edit DNA, but CRISPR technology is expected to do the job with ease, speed and precision never before.
The dazzling range of applications has led researchers to turn their attention to CRISPR technology to develop treatments ranging from Alzheimer's disease to cancer to AIDS. This technology may bring new approaches to cancer treatment by allowing doctors to put the appropriate cancer-carrying genes into the patient's immune system. In addition, the technology may also accelerate the progress of gene therapy, in which doctors put normal genes into hereditary diseases, such as Tay-Sachs disease (Note: a recessive often associated with sphingolipid metabolism) Chromosomal genetic disease) or cystic fibrotic disease in patients with cells inside.
It may take years or even decades for CRISPR technology to be used to design babies. However, the resulting problems have sparked heated discussions. In April, Chinese scientists revealed that they have tried to edit the genome of human embryos using CRISPR technology. Although these embryos cannot develop to term, live embryos may one day be designed for therapeutic or non-medical enhancement reasons.
This is an obstacle that some people are not willing to cross. Many scientists, including one of the inventors of CRISPR technology, hope to stop editing the "germline" cells of the progeny. The National Academy of Sciences plans to hold an in-depth study of the ethical issues of CRISPR technology. This debate is urgently needed. CRISPR is a gospel, but it raises profound questions.
Morality is the only solution
These problems boil down to two categories: practical problems and philosophical questions. The direct obstacle is the actual problem. While cutting target DNA, CRISPR also often finds targets in other organs. In the laboratory, this may not matter; but in the human body, it can cause serious harm. For a person with a terrible disease, the risk of collateral damage may be worth studying. However, in germline cell applications, where each cell perceives side effects, the barrier surface should be high. It may take a generation to ensure that this technology is safe. At that time, couples with genetic diseases can use in vitro fertilization to get pregnant and choose healthy embryos.
Furthermore, despite the proliferation of genetic sequence data, biology knows little about the origins of almost all interesting and complex features of humans. Only a few features can be easily enhanced with a quick cut-and-stick approach. There will often be trade-offs between capabilities in the future. There seems to be a long way to go according to the choice of attributes provided. However, science has brought progress – indeed, as the genetic sequence shows, science is sometimes developing at a rapid pace. Therefore, it is right for scientists to consider the best way to regulate CRISPR now.
This means answering those philosophical questions. There are always people who would oppose CRISPR because of this technology that makes humans play God. However, the natural order of drugs to interfere with things has become commonplace—for example, the act of saving people from various infections and parasites. Treating cancer, saving children from a variety of genetic diseases, and recognizing opportunities for diabetes have justified the process.
A more difficult question is whether it is always right to change what is inherited in the way of editing human germ cells. This is banned in 40 countries and is restricted in many places. There is no reason to ban research or therapeutic use: some countries allow research on human embryos as long as they are left in in vitro fertilization and have no growth period of more than 14 days, which is true. The UK has allowed donors to provide mitochondrial DNA during pregnancy in order to protect children from unnecessary suffering, even if the changes are passed down. The objection of CRISPR is that germline changes are irreversible: if genes can be deleted in editing, they may eventually be reversed at the time of editing.
A deeper level of confusion and the use of CRISPR to make arbitrary adjustments to the individual's genome. This will allow treatment (eg, removal of genes that are more likely to trigger breast cancer or early-onset Alzheimer's disease) to develop into genetic enhancement. Some people may think that short-term or not considering the long-term is a problem that needs to be corrected. However, in this respect, the correct approach should also be a cautious and open-minded attitude: society should bear the responsibility of proving when and why genetic editing is wrong.
CRISPR, happier, more capable
Using these principles to develop regulations will not be realized soon. Some countries may have gaps in legislation or poor enforcement, allowing privately funded scientists or private fertility clinics to conduct unregulated CRISPR studies. The conservative and cautious approach taken by the British Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority in its decision on mitochondrial DNA is a model. Regulators must also monitor the use of CRISPR on non-human species. Changing the animal's genome to spread satisfactory characteristics, such as mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria, can bring huge benefits. However, the risk of unintended consequences means that this “gene push†should be banned unless they can be reversed by proven countermeasures.
If CRISPR can be proven to be safe for the human body, various mechanisms are needed to gain consent and equality. Gene editing brings parents' concerns about making choices that are not clearly beneficial to their child. For example, deaf parents may prefer their offspring to be deaf and dumb; aspiring parents may want to increase their intelligence at all costs, even if this affects the child's personality in other ways. Moreover, if it is possible to make the child smarter with a little improvement, can only the rich have the right to choose?
It is correct to think carefully about these issues. However, these difficulties should not bury the benefits of CRISPR or hinder its progress. A tool that allows humans to lead a healthier, longer life and better life is within reach of the world and it should be accepted.
Source: Translation Network
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