We could not imagine that 30 years ago everything would be connected through something called a world wide web. However this is true today, science fiction became our reality. The same thing is happening with genetic engineering.
Gene editing used to be extremely complicated, expensive and took a long time to do. However, this is now changed through the use of CRISPR. CRISPR is able to edit genes with 1% of the cost, what could be done in a year is now possible in a few weeks. And everybody with a lab is able to do it. CRISPR is like a GPS that can target specific DNA molecules. CRISPR has the ability to alter live cells and switch genes on and off. This all sounds very boring, however if you want all the details check this article.
Now to the part you have been waiting for… what can CRISPR change in your life?
Ending diseases
99% of mice carrying the HIV virus were inserted with CRISPR and almost 50% of all the HIV infected cells were destroyed. This is only the beginning. In a few decades CRISPR is able to cure HIV and other viruses. CRISPR could even defeat our worst enemy, cancer. Cancer occurs when cells refuse to die and hide themselves in the immune system. As stated before, CRISPR is like a GPS system and is therefore better able to detect the cells. The first CRISPR cancer treatment was approved on the 21 of June 2016 in the US. CRISPR might also able to treat genetic diseases. There are thousands of them ranging from colour blindness, which is quite harmless, to Huntington disease. Because almost every genetic disease is caused by an fault in your DNA, CRISPR is able to detect and cure the incorrectness.
Designer babies
As sad as it seems, we already design our babies. When a woman gets pregnant with a baby and syndrome of down is detected, 93% of the cases the baby gets terminated. Modifying babies will probably start very slow with perfect health for example. However, as the technology progresses and gets more refined, more and more people will believe that not using genetic modification would even be unethical. As soon the first engineered baby is born, a door is opened that can not be closed again. Because if you can cure your baby from Alzheimer, why not also give it an enhanced metabolism, perfect eyesight or even extraordinary intelligence. Modified humans could just become the new standard. So what are the anti-aging possibilities?
Eternal youth
Two-thirds of all people who die, die from age related causes. CRIPSR could modify aging cells that can slow the aging process or maybe even stop it. We know from nature that there are animals immune to aging, the lobster for example. Maybe we could borrow some of those genes for our selves.
There is a possibility that we, students from BIM 16/17, could benefit from the first anti aging therapies. The only thing we need to do is convince a smart billionaire to make this his next big problem to solve.
There is no need to think small with CRISPR; at the end everything is possible!
Thank you for your interesting blog! It reminds me of an article I recently read, about the first baby born with three parents. The mother carried the fatal Leigh syndrome, and it was impossible for the parents to raise a healthy baby. While only a small part of the DNA was removed/changed, it raised some concerns. The doctor, who came from the US, travelled to Mexico to perform the task, and he said it was the right thing to do, as he saved a live. But critics say that by performing the treatment in Mexico, the team was subject to less regulations, and details about the procedure have not been made available yet (source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/27/worlds-first-baby-born-using-dna-from-three-parents)
While I think it is great that opportunities exist to give parents who carry a fatal syndrom a healthy baby, I also believe that there should be limits as to how much a gene can change. Next to that, I also think it is impossible to rule out all illnesses, as illnesses have changed over the years (for example, some diseases have been eradicated due to the development of vaccins, but this also create vaccine induced diseases).
I am very curious to see how these developments will turn out, and I hope regulations are put in place to make sure they are only used for the necessary causes (such as changing a fatal syndrome or helping to cure cancer), and not for unnecessary ones (such as creating a supersmart baby with a fast metabolism).
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/rare/12-deadly-diseases-cured-in-the-20th-century.htm
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/29/the-emergence-of-vaccine-induced-diseases.aspx
The ethics of genetic modification are always a very difficult topic. I for one believe that the ability to completely alter unborn children (including their traits and looks) proposes severe threats to society.
First of all, there is the well-known argument of societal differences: with current costs of genetic modification, this will in first instance only be available to the richest people. This will further broaden the gap between the rich and the poor. Second, these people will have the opportunity to create the perfect human being. However, what do they define as perfect? Since the humans born in these resourceful environments, with more opportunities, chances are they will end up somewhere in a powerful position. In these positions, these people will then have the opportunity to change the world for their own good. Who knows what the ‘perfect human’ as defined by their parents will think of as good? Third, what gives parents the right to ‘mess’ with their baby’s characteristics and looks? What if parents think it is nice go give their baby a snake-like tongue, or red eyes? Where are the boundaries?
And that is the keyword in this discussion: boundaries. If genetic modification could only be used to cure cancer or alter our health in several different ways, this would be an innovation to indeed give a big hand for. Nevertheless, I think this technology should be used in controlled environments only, with very, very strict legislations to avoid abuse. Whether this is feasible, is of course a different matter.