Scientists are now more accurately and cheaply able to alter
genome sites simultaneously adding or deleting genes in living cells. What are some of the ways in which this
new technology can be applied in both the medical and non-medical fields?
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/editing-the-genome-with-high-precision-0103.html
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ReplyDeleteOther than HIV and Huntington's, which are mentioned in the article, perhaps this new system can be applied to cancer cells. If this process can alter or fix the mutation that causes the cancer cells to multiply out of control, we might have a safer (and less toxic) way to stop tumor proliferation. Although this may have great benefits, I am cautious to applaud the discovery because altering our bodies at such a basic level could cause an infinite amount of new problems; we don't fully understand DNA, and altering it in any way, could cause unforeseen problems, such as new, more dangerous mutations or deadlier diseases gaining access to altered cells. For instance, the article mentions altering the CCR5 receptor so that HIV is no longer able to enter the cell, but this may in fact create an opportunity for a different virus to enter, creating a new epidemic/pandemic. If studied further though, there may be great benefit to fixing a problem at the source rather than through a vast array of medications, but at the moment, I am skeptical. Non-medical applications could consider altering crops, similar to genetically modified organisms produced now, but through easier and cheaper means. They could be resistant to droughts or certain pests, and solve many of the worlds hunger problems. However, this once again, disturbs a certain balance and may create more problems than had been expected. As always, we should be very cautious when messing with the very basic building blocks of our existence.
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ReplyDeleteI am eager to see the applications for this new technology in the green energy industry. The article mentioned that the new method for genomic insertions and deletions could be used when developing biofuels. This could have a great impact on carbon emissions and our effect on the environment. It would be interesting to see the effects of this technology on the food industry as well. However, I am skeptical of the outcomes of genetically engineered agricultural products. Similar to the way that hydrogenation of oils into things like margarine and shortening caused unforeseen health outcomes due to trans-fatty acids, what are the potential health effects of eating unnatural, genetically modified foods? I am also afraid of the potential for mistreatment of animals in the food industry as a result of genetic modification. For example, many companies have genetically engineered chickens to grow more breast muscle simply because consumers are more interested in buying that meat. As a result, during their short lifetimes many chickens are unable to stand or support their weight properly due to their unevenly distributed chest weight. How far are we willing to go to genetically modify our foods in order to increase profitability and efficiency?
ReplyDeleteIt is also interesting that the technology could be used as a therapy for certain diseases such as Huntington’s Disease, which apparently involves a single gene. However, we must remember that many, if not all, diseases with genetic roots are not as simple as a single gene mutation. The interactions between genes and environment affect the expression of genes, and often times many genes interact to produce an outcome. With disease, I’m not sure that this technology could necessarily treat a disease entirely simply by fixing one mutation. What if there are more factors playing into the disease, such as mutations in the epigenetics as well? I am hopeful that this technology could help the millions of people living with HIV, however I am curious to see if they have tested their claims that they could alter the CCR5 receptor and whether this will truly improve the immunity of HIV patients.
The first medical application of this new technology that comes to mind is the deletion of mutated genes in fetuses to eliminate birth defects (intellectual or congenital). Another medical application which is equally revolutionary is the use of this technology to create medications, vaccinations, and other cures in the hopes of eradicating not only communicable disease but noncommunicable diseases as well. The rise of one technology that may be applied across the board from diseases like tuberculosis to diabetes is extremely exciting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, there is always the possibility that new technologies may be misused. For example, such technology lends hope to the controversial field of eugenics (i.e. designer babies). Although I do not support eugenics I can envision a future in which parents have the option of hand selecting the physical traits of their children with the help of new technologies such such as this one. Overall, I am excited about the potential to confront such a wide array of diseases as HIV as well as Huntington's with the introduction of new technologies in the field of genome engineering.
ReplyDeleteLike Maysam wrote above, I think this technique could one day be useful in destroying cancer cells. Obviously the technique only changes one cell at a time, and wouldn't do much for a metastatic cancer, but maybe it can target malignant tumors and alter tens of thousands or millions of cancerous cells at one time, locally. I think that this technique could be very useful in food production. Instead of using chemicals to alter produce, gene adding/deleting techniques could be employed to select for advantageous traits, and select against undesirable traits. Additionally, this science can used to "design" more desirous animals, pets, and basically anything else that is living - although this could be a slippery slope of sorts. However, I think that we are years from a technique that can target and alter many cells (or even whole body parts) at once. For now we'll just have to live with one gene change at a time.
ReplyDeleteBased on what the article says about the prior technologies out there, this way of editing the genome is a welcome addition to the lineup. The ability to treat a disease like Huntington's would be remarkable. Many genetic disorders are devastating and fatal, so having a therapy like this one available as a treatment option would help so many people. The ability to treat viral diseases, like HIV, as well as genetic disorders make this discovery very widely applicable in the treatment of many disorders and diseases. It seems like it could be dangerous that we would be able to engineer mutations. It sounds like it has the potential to disrupt evolution if put into use widely, but the chances of that happening in our lifetime are probably very rare. I agree with some of my classmates who have connected this technology with concepts such as eugenics - it is a link that came to my mind a well. As long as this technology is used wisely with the appropriate ethical reviews, I think it could be helpful for many people.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in the article, one non-medical advancement is a less expensive way to engineer organisms that produce biofuels. I wonder how much further this could be applied beyond biofuels. Could this have the potential to develop alternative forms of energy, or genetically modify foods to be healthier? I'm still not completely sure of other non-medical advancements for this genome editing, as I still don't fully understand all of its applications and capabilities. However, one thing that struck me is the potential it has since it has generously been made available for other researchers to use as well as a free website that offers tools and tips for researchers who are new to the technology. I think that this could have much broader implications on other aspects of life other than the medical field if developed properly, but there is always the potential for abuse of a system and the repercussions of modifying various aspects of life have yet to be seen or evaluated when using this system.
ReplyDeleteThe article mentions several medical advancements that could result from the use of this genome editing system. The examples given were use of the system to design animal models to study human disease as well as it being easier to study human disease by inducing specific mutations in human stem cells, development of new therapies for diseases like Huntington's disease that are caused by a single mutation, and treatment of HIV by removing a patient's lymphocytes and mutating the CCR5 receptor which would cause cells to resist infection. This could also potentially be expanded in my opinion. It seems like this technology could be used to correct mutations such as BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 that are known to cause breast and ovarian cancers, among others. This could significantly reduce the number of cases of cancer, lowering medical bills and possibly treatment costs for cancer.
However, I also see several potential issues with such technology. In the comments section on the page, one individual brought up the question of "designer babies." By making this technology available to so many people, are we introducing the risk for couples or individuals to determine the genetics of their children, allowing people to create their ideal offspring? This brings into play evolution and how this could disrupt the naturally occurring process. What are the long term implications of such a process occurring? Additionally, if this is used to treat HIV and alter the CCR5 cells, what is to say that a new strain of HIV will not develop that will not use the CCR5 receptors to make an individual ill? This could create a new virus for which we have no treatments. On that same note, if researchers to find news cures and vaccinations, I feel that it is probable that new viruses and diseases will arise overtime that we have not seen before and thus have no way to treat or immunize against. Could such technology actually do more harm for humans than good? It seems like such a system has the potential to upset a carefully constructed natural balance both medically and in other aspects of human life and I do think there is a need to project or study what long term implications this technology could have on the lives of humans as a whole.
As far as applications in the medical field, the article mentioned ways in which it could benefit diseases such as Huntington’s disease and HIV. Studying human diseases is another area in which significant benefit is possible, due to the inducing of specific mutation in human stem cells and observing how the mutations alter the biology of the cells. As far as other possible uses in the medical field, it seems this new technology could be used to target genes that are detrimental and replace them with something else. An instance in which this could be used could be cancer research or treatment, depending on the stage of the illness. My question regarding this new technology is this, to what effect does this swapping in and out of genes have on the body? What is too much? What is too little to have an effect? These are the kinds of things that need trial and error to determine but are the risks of this worthy enough to provide their approval?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of benefits in the non-medical industry, the biggest effect that may be applicable is in the widespread food industry. Already the use of drugs, growth products, and pesticides as spurned the development of higher yielding crops and cattle. This new technology could have potential to have equal, if not greater, effects, without introducing many of the substance deemed hazardous in to the bodies / matter of the intended target. Pesticides and growth hormones for crops and animals are extremely controversial in our society because the long term effects of these compounds in the human body are still not fully known, it has been discovered that due to modern living factors including diet, surroundings, and chemical products, the average man's testosterone today is significantly lower than two generations ago. Could this new genome technology serve as a tool to reverse problems like this? By manipulating the genes of plants or animals to grow bigger, faster, and healthier, we could avoid the issue of introducing foreign compounds to produce the same changes.
Overall, this seems to be a technology that must be tested like any other. To not do so through trial and error would be a mistake on the part of the medical and research community.
As far as applications in the medical field, the article mentioned ways in which it could benefit diseases such as Huntington’s disease and HIV. Studying human diseases is another area in which significant benefit is possible, due to the inducing of specific mutation in human stem cells and observing how the mutations alter the biology of the cells. As far as other possible uses in the medical field, it seems this new technology could be used to target genes that are detrimental and replace them with something else. An instance in which this could be used could be cancer research or treatment, depending on the stage of the illness. My question regarding this new technology is this, to what effect does this swapping in and out of genes have on the body? What is too much? What is too little to have an effect? These are the kinds of things that need trial and error to determine but are the risks of this worthy enough to provide their approval?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of benefits in the non-medical industry, the biggest effect that may be applicable is in the widespread food industry. Already the use of drugs, growth products, and pesticides as spurned the development of higher yielding crops and cattle. This new technology could have potential to have equal, if not greater, effects, without introducing many of the substance deemed hazardous in to the bodies / matter of the intended target. Pesticides and growth hormones for crops and animals are extremely controversial in our society because the long term effects of these compounds in the human body are still not fully known, it has been discovered that due to modern living factors including diet, surroundings, and chemical products, the average man's testosterone today is significantly lower than two generations ago. Could this new genome technology serve as a tool to reverse problems like this? By manipulating the genes of plants or animals to grow bigger, faster, and healthier, we could avoid the issue of introducing foreign compounds to produce the same changes.
Overall, this seems to be a technology that must be tested like any other. To not do so through trial and error would be a mistake on the part of the medical and research community.
This new technology could revolutionize medicine as we know with its many possibilities but as someone mentioned in their earlier comment, it is a slippery slope. The first thought that came to my mind when I was reading the article was how much of an impact it could make on genetic diseases, especially those that are discovered before birth. The rates of developmental disorders would decrease substantially. But on the other hand, trying to change a part of DNA could result in further complications in the future. I think it needs to be taken one step at a time before any serious transformations in health care can be made.
ReplyDeleteAlso too much control is not always a good thing. This new technology could lead to people trying to change their babies to have better phenotypic genes, which brings in many more controversial issues. Just the fact that this new technique is easier to use and less expensive would allow more people to be willing to try it out.
This applies to genetically engineered food as well, like many other people have mentioned. We are at a point where obesity has become an epidemic and organic, healthy food is hard to find or even too expensive to purchase. This new technique would make it possible for food to be genetically modified to give the food growers/companies more money rather than more nutritious for those who consume it. This would continue pushing us in a downward spiral away from a healthy nation and continue causing health issues in the future.
This new technology of being able to alter genome sites by simultaneously adding or deleting genes in living cells in a more accurate and cheap way can be applied to the medical field such as eradicating diseases and having sibling saviors. This interesting article says that there could be genetically modified mosquitoes that can wipe out malaria in places like sub-Saharan Africa (http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/gm-mosquito.htm). They talk about turning on the gene in mosquitoes that make them immune to malaria parasites and let those mosquitoes spread and become the "survival of the fitness", eventually wiping out the original mosquitoes that are spreading the virus. Another way that this new technology can be applied in the medical field is making sibling saviors. In my previous medical ethics class, I watched the movie "My Sister's Keeper" (based on a true story), which is where a family decides to make a child that has the perfect desired genetics (the perfect resources) to help save their other child who has cancer. Whether this is ethical or not is a whole other story, but this is still an example of how people who may not be health professionals are using this technology medically.
ReplyDeleteAs with many of my other classmates, I agree that this technology can also be applied in the non-medical field by having genetically modified foods. There is a push to have these kinds of foods because nutritious food is something that not everybody has access to. Genetically modifying it can help with making cheap nutritious food to decrease the obesity rate in the US and can help with having more successful crops in sub-Saharan Africa to decrease the rate of hunger. This can be a problem, however because in the short run it can solve these problem, but in the long run it can make more problems such as having unknown effects on human health.
The article mentioned a couple of good examples in which this technology can be applied in the medical field. They were saying that they can use it to treat various diseases like Huntington’s disease and HIV because by modifying the genome they can offer an alternative treatment. On the other hand, I couldn’t really think of where in a non-medical field this technology could be applied except for during research. But, after reading my classmate’s comments I agree in that they can use this technology to modify foods in order to improve its nutritional value. This will be a great tool considering the rising problem of obesity in this country and around the world. Nonetheless, I think that this new technology has a lot of great things to offer in terms of treatment possibilities. But, I do think that before its start being used, it needs to be fully researched in order to understand potential consequences and that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteThe scientists that have made this discovery to modify and completely transform a living human genome have opened the doors to an entirely new can of worms for a number of medical and non-medical field studies. This new technology could be applied medically to help certain patients who are born with or are exposed to a disease causing a chromosomal malformation. The article gives Huntingtons disease and HIV as examples of diseases this could be beneficial for. These diseases alone would have drastic effects considering the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been the fastest growing disease in the last twenty years. On the contrary though, the elimination of such an incurable disease could promote and encourage casual sexual behavior because people would have no reason to be fearful of the consequences.
ReplyDeleteNon-medically, such a discovery could be studied in such ways to enhance the human population through plants, animals and microorganisms. From this stems enhanced nutrition and a possible increase in human tolerance to environmental changes. Overall, what's so incredible about this discovery is its precision in targeting a specific position on the genome. It is for this reason that I think this is the beginning of endless possibilities for human advancement.
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ReplyDeleteIn the medical field, I can envision this ability to edit the genome as a starting point for lots of research on treating genetic disorders with known mutations. There is one part of this that confuses me though; would one be able to treat a genetic disorder by altering the genome in a single cell? I feel that this may be a silly question and I should ask this question in class or in a direct email to Dr. Chan but if it is possible to "cure" genetic diseases by using this technology, I do predict that lots of research will stem from this newfound ability to edit the genome. Another use in medicine would be for creating vaccines, as it would become much easier to alter viruses. Transgender procedures may become easier to do with genome-wide alterations, and individualized multiple targeted gene therapies may come into existence, furthering the prevalence of person-centered medicine. Personalized medicine may expand to encompass more cosmetic procedures, from changing behavioral characteristics, to appearance, to physical attributes.
ReplyDeleteNonmedical uses of this ability to alter the genome are vast as well. Production of high-yielding crops, as well as proliferation of protective species (for the food supply crops) may be a development to stem from this. Also, as the article mentioned, genomic alteration for more carbon-rich biofuels may result, and genomes of various species may be altered to adapt to the global climate shift.
This discovery is so striking because every living cell on earth has a genome, and the ability of humans to alter any living organism is a thrilling yet nerve wracking advancement of science, and the beginning of an incredible time for research
The possibility of adding or deleting genes may have great benefits to current health care. If it were possible to fix the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, perhaps women will never have to go through the hardships of living with the mutation. Their quality of lives may be improved because they will have no need for their breast tissue to be removed or fear being responsible for passing down the mutation on to her children. The same can be said about diseases like Huntington’s disease. If the mutation were resolved, perhaps a family would never have to go through the emotional and physically exhausting turmoil of taking care of a loved one. I think that this new technology can be the gateway to preventing many diseases that severely impact the quality of life of those afflicted.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mia’s post regarding HIV and casual sex, I do agree that if this new technology can mutate CCR5 and prevent HIV infection, it may lead to less fears about HIV in general and promote casual and unsafe sex practices. But at the same time, promoting any sort of HIV prevention and treatments, not just genetic treatments, will lead to people fearing the virus a lot less. Regardless, I think that the benefits of a genomic cure to HIV will outweigh the backlashes of potentially increased spread of other STIs. At least, there are current treatments for many other STIs if they are spread.
Non-medically, perhaps they can genetically modify animals like cows to produce less green house gases. Or modify animals to produce leaner, less fatty meats. Maybe even modify trees to become less vulnerable to forest fires. Possibilities are endless, but they are certainly not without dangerous consequences. For example, I remember reading about scientists modifying crops to be weed killer resistant. Due to plants’ strange crossover nature and horizontal gene transfer, the weeds surrounding the crops developed the weed killer resistance from the crops. Consequences like that must be considered before plans are implemented.
Being able to insert and delete DNA is a big step in a good but dangerous direction. The ability to insert good DNA and delete bad DNA has the potential in the future to possibly save lives and reduce rates of certain diseases. Especially diseases like Huntingtons Disease that is controlled by one abnormal gene. If we are able to develop it in one then there is no reason we wouldn't be able to develop it in two or more in the future. This is getting close to science fiction. Where we can alter genes in the future to cure diseases will we be able to pick genes that we want for our kids? If we don't want a child to be blood type A will we be able to replace that gene with one of blood type B? There is a lot of potential for this type of technology. Will there be a point where we will be able to create a gene based on genes that we desire and pick ourselves? The future of technology like this is both scary and fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to alter a living organism's genome is a thrilling scientific advancement that could bring both cures and consequences.
ReplyDeleteIn a non-medical setting it seems that this genome altering technology would provide many benefits in the fields of both agriculture and biofuels. It could be applied to create disease resistant crops as well as increases in quality and number of crops. It looks like there is also potential to use this technology to alter plants and other organisms in order to use them as fuels which would in turn reduce our reliance on fossil fuel sources, a discovery that ultimately benefits the environment.
Medically speaking there is of course the risk of using this technology for applications beyond disease prevention, such as altering the genomes of fetuses to produce genetically desirable characteristics. As Gina mentioned in a comment above mine, I am also a little hazy about how scientists plan on targeting every cell in the body? A large part of me rejects the idea of altering our genomes as it seems to defy nature in many ways. I agree there are benefits, but what does all of this genetic modification mean for our children or grandchildren. There is no way to measure the future effects; we are not considering the possibility of a bioaccumulation of these self-induced mutations.
I think the best medical application of this technology would be to create treatments for diseases that currently exist. If a cure for cancer can be developed by changing a few gene sequences then I believe we should capitalize on this technology. However, we must also acknowledge the social implications of such technology. On the extreme side of the spectrum as Chin said, this could induce reckless practices regarding sex and HIV. If there are treatments for this disease it is possible that people will be more lax about practicing safe sex.
Speaking of, this gene replacing technology also raises questions about reproduction; will the genetic material of egg and sperm be altered then to not transmit hereditary diseases? Like I said, this also leads to the possibility of selecting socially desirable traits.
In conclusion, we as a society need to put limits on the use of this technology and need to have a discussion about the benefits and downfalls.
Jamie Shaw
ReplyDeleteI find this a very scary, yet thrilling discovery. I think it is awesome for means of research as well as agriculture and even designing the perfect cow to be disease free, and more lean, etc. However, when it comes to humans, this idea scares me a lot.
As many of my classmates have brought up above me, I think this is working toward manufacturing a superior race of humans, i.e.: Gattaca. I think that if we don't put limitations on this usage, we could easily slip down the slope and hurdle toward the super-race that now seems unreachable. I think it's helpful for people who are born with genetic diseases that they have no control over (Huntington's) but is not helpful for those with HIV, as the article brought up. I also feel that people will become more lax about their lifestyle choices, as Ashley and Chin bring up, which would be a terrible genetic alteration.
I also don't really like that we're playing God (so to say, of course). While it is unfortunate to be born with an imperfect genome, it is what makes us all unique and ourselves, and I don't really condone changing that to a perfectly disease free population.
This advancement could definitely be useful in both medical and non-medical fields. The article stated that genomic additions and deletions could be used to develop biofuels. Today industries and car companies are concerned with becoming more “green.” Over the past couple of years, the environment has become a priority and this technology could help with the reduction of carbon emissions by developing greener fuels. Since this way of altering genes is both cheap and accurate, I think it could be very useful in the fuel industry as well as other non-medical industries.
ReplyDeleteThis technology could be used in diseases such as Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, and HIV, like the article stated. The likelihood of these diseases occurring in a person is pre-determined in one’s genes and being able to alter the genome would be beneficial. However, more research should be done about the effects of these additions and deletions in living cells. Altering someone’s DNA could have detrimental effects that we should be aware of before advertising this method for treatment of diseases that have already been diagnosed. After further research is done, this technology could definitely be useful in eliminating some of the genetic diseases that are so devastating.
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This new technology can make a huge difference in the medical world. Many genetic diseases are linked to specific genes, thus with this technology may soon be able to treat genetic disorders by removing the gene associated with the disease. (For example in a case where the disease is caused by a repeating gene). In the non medical field this specifically important for research; once a person is able to understand how to remove a gene and isolate it they can learn more about why mutations develop and can help develop genes that improve the quality of life. Prevention is also a very important with the development of this research.
DeleteAs with most developments however, there is also bad associated with this research. Being able to create an alter genes poses a great question of boundaries. When are we providing options for society and when are we in a sense “playing God.” As this technology becomes more prevalent, more people will fill the need to use this ability to make themselves “better” and change problems they may have beyond health in terms of looks and ability. Gene research is always so innovative yet frightening at the same time.
Technology that offers a way for researchers to engineer organisms in a way that gene sequences could be added or deleted will have many positive effects. It would allow production of biofuels, the design of animals to study human diseases and could potentially cure devastating diseases. The drive to be more environmentally friendly has become a hot topic in the science world. This research could lead to more environmentally safe resources that could be harvested and used. It would also allow for further animal testing and could lead to a breakthrough in curing many genetic diseases.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this research could attract criticism from many different parties. Animal rights activists may complain about the genetic modification of animals for testing. It may also face negativity when it comes to critics of engineering the “perfect child”. This research would also not test how and why genetic mutations occur but only what happens when the mutation does occur.
This is an exciting scientific discovery that definitely has both non-medical and medical uses. Medically speaking, as the article itself mentioned, it can be useful for treating genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease as well as other diseases such as HIV which may not be genetically linked. Non-medically, this advancement can be used to engineer organisms that produce biofuels. It can also be used in agriculture to create crops that are disease resistant and exactly how a farmer would like them to be.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of ethics, this technology may not necessarily be right. While there is always a gray area in this part of science, editing the genome may become the new norm and essentially make people want to start creating "perfect babies". While I believe it is definitely okay to find treatments for diseases, I think the line should be drawn there. Genetically modifying embryos may not be ethically correct.
I believe that this new technology could have huge potential. Within the medical field, this technology can drastically improve the lives of people with genetic disorders, such as Huntington’s, BRCA mutations, HIV, PKU, Cystic fibrosis etc. Genetic disorders that have a single gene abnormality could be targeted to disable the gene and provide new therapy designs. Doing so could eradicate these genetic disorders that are caused by single gene mutations. To me this is huge and it could alleviate a great amount of illness, pain, and suffering. I agree with my classmates that this technology could one day even be used for cancer research and treatment. But there are some questions that need to be considered. What type of affect would these gene alterations have on the person? And could it be worse then the original situation? Are the risks worth the benefit? This may lead down the slippery slope of creating designer human beings in the future that are totally free of all illness and contain what society considers desirable traits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates that when it comes to the non-medical industry, this technology could benefit the food engineering industry and also biofuel industry. It could be used to genetically modify food in order to make it more affordable and nutritious. As well as creating disease resistant crops. Plants could also be altered in order to be used as fuels. This would greatly benefit the environment and the health of human beings. This technology could have many possible benefits however there must be a line drawn. Further research and discussion needs to be conducted in order to weigh the benefits of this technology versus the potential harms.
Its potential to aid in the prevention of disease caused by a single abnormal gene could potentially be expanded further into more prevalent diseases. Familial hypercholesterolemia is believed to be caused by a single gene. While Huntington’s has a prevalence of 1 in 2500, while familial hypercholesterolemia has a prevalence of 1 in 500. However there would be some resistance from the large pharmaceutical companies who are making massive profits from the sale of cholesterol lowering drugs. For less prevalent diseases there is less initiative for these companies to sell the drug treatments. In this sense the preventative treatment through genome site alteration would be extremely beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThere are large advantages to genetically modified foods to increase nutrient content, size, and facilitate transport. The potential uses for the eradication of hunger are very high. Unfortunately the cost of this would likely be extremely high in the early stages and therefore available to first world countries (the US, Canada, and Europe) and the wealthy. Rather than increasing nutrient content to supply those in areas of drought and poverty, it would more likely be used to fight insect predators on organic strawberries and make peaches have a color that is more appealing to consumers. While I believe that potential for great good is there, I believe the financial incentive to implement it is not.
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Single-Gene-Genetic-Disorder.aspx
This new discovery could lead to huge medical (and non-medical) leaps. Like we learned in class, Huntings Disease is a disease of CAG repeats. If we have found a way to make deletions, we could cure this disease, and many others. I'm hoping, though, that before actually performing this form of treatment on humans, we make sure we have gone through many many testing to ensure that we do not in fact make the situation worse. Making deletions of genetic information in the wrong spots could make people's diseases and situations much worse than they already are. It's a factor I'm sure happens with every new treatment and discovery in the early stages, so we need to be cautious in how soon we begin using this treatment on humans.
ReplyDeleteNon-medically speaking, it could make enormous leaps in the quality of people's lives around the entire world. Genetically modifying food to withstand certain weather conditions in areas that had trouble growing certain foods could help entire groups of people.
Lastly, I think people in general are more concerned in these situations about genetically modifying children to be "designer babies." I do think that this in some way is a concern, but not the biggest one. People have many different views on this subject, and I think it's something entirely different than what our focus is at the moment. It is something to be aware of, but I don't think it's the greatest and most alarming concern with a new discovery like this one.
Alexandra Kramer
ReplyDeleteI agree with my fellow classmates about how important this discovery could be for genetic diseases such as Huntington's or Alzheimer's. Discoveries like this one are what we need to take medicine and treatment to the next level, trying to solve problems that seem next to impossible to solve. The article mentions making improving the efficacy, which I think is also crucial. Especially at the beginning of a potential treatment, the efficacy is very spotty, and because things like this are usually very expensive, it is hard to get the right amount of support to be able to continue. Because they are focusing on efficacy and accessibility, it can reach a lot more people.
I do, however, have to mention, as I do when responding to many of these blog posts, the fact that we have to be very careful when manipulating genes. Ethically and morally, this type of thing can get very out of hand when put in certain hands. Our society has a habit of liking perfection, to the point where we may cross dangerous boundaries to achieve it. We need to make sure that we are not using this discovery to make a society of one type of "perfect" child.
I also agree with my classmates that this is a very exciting discovery. First and foremost in a clinical sense, it will lead to much more research in the area. Researchers can more easily manipulate the genome to understand the implications of specific mutations. This research will, in turn, lead to the development more genetic testing and analysis technologies. It will also help to develop new therapies for genetic diseases. Psychologically, these technologies can help to ease the minds of those who are told, through genetic testing, that they have a mutation. The article mentions other medical applications of these technologies such as producing biofuels and designing animal models to study disease.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, there are other non-medical applications. The article mentions the use of these new genetic technologies to produce biofuels. Biofuels are renewable substances and can have a positive impact on the environment.
Although altering genomic sites can bring a lot of benefits in understanding and treating diseases, it is important that more research is done. I feel like trying to play around with something that occurs in nature might come with some repercussions that we are not aware of yet. Perhaps the malicious side effects might not be present now, but they may show up years from now. However it comes down to how much of a risk we are willing to take. Furthermore, it is pushing the limits to how much we can control. As some have mentioned before, it can lead to people changing their genome so that it can produce preferable phenotypes rather than appreciating what we are born with. It can even decrease the genetic variation we have as a society because there are certain traits that we prefer over other ones.
ReplyDeleteAs the article and others have mentioned, there are non-medical advancements that can come with this discovery such as engineering organisms that help in producing biofuels. There can be potential for other forms of energy, which could possibly create alternative, less costly use of energy. As far as medical advancements go, it can definitely be helpful to be able to alter gene sequences to treat or prevent certain diseases from arising. Again, however, we can’t be sure if the benefits aren’t just temporary. It may help in treating the disease but we don’t know if it can cause another disease to be produced as well. Worrying too much about possible future risks shouldn’t stop people from focusing on advancing public health for the time being. The rates of diseases like cancer can greatly decrease. It made me think of the “In the Family” movie, and how knowing that such gene alterations could prevent the mutation from taking place. It could save someone from the expenses, mental and emotional exhaustions that come from such conditions.
What are some of the ways in which this new technology can be applied in both the medical and non-medical fields?
ReplyDeleteThis new technology of being able to edit the genome with high precision definitely can be applied in both the medical and non-medical fields. I think the biggest impact of this technology would be in the medical field, such that of altering genes, in particular those genes that give off a negative mutation, such as a genetic disease or HIV. Like stated in the article, "this system could be used to design new therapies for diseases such as Huntington's disease, which appears to be caused by a single abnormal gene." If we are able to edit genes, especially the ones with mutations, it would benefit people so much because so many people are affected by genetic diseases. Also, it might be useful for treating HIV. And maybe one day, this technology will be helpful in treating cancer as well. Overall, this new technology seems to have many benefits in the medical field. I think there might be some negative effects might happen from this technology, but it is still too early to tell. I'm afraid that our genes might learn to reverse these edits that we make one day. But it is too early to tell.
This technology can also be used in non-medical fields to genetically engineer fuel or food. Also, like stated in the article, it can be used to "design animal models to study human disease." Overall, this technology can help to engineer a lot of things for us. And once again, the idea is beneficial, but I'm afraid that one day, there might be an adverse outcome that may come about from this technology, such as the genetically produced products might have an negative effect on people.
But overall, this new technology is pretty cool; it's great knowing that scientists now can edit our genes. I think the greatest benefit of this is the possibility of editing genetic mutations or curing genetic diseases.
This kind of technology seems to takes us into the future of genetically modifying humans. Of course it will all start out as helping people to get rid of diseases – but then people will become more ambitious and want more.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the medical field, it could eliminate genetic mutations such as the BRCA-1 gene that would then no longer be able to be passed down. Even though it would not eliminate the risk of cancer it will considerably reduce the risk for the population of women and few men who have it. Even beyond that, if there are any other gene mutations that increase the risk of any cancer they could be removed. In reality, it would appear that the possibilities are endless. It could then be able to fix any disease that afflicts the human body.
I am very skeptical, though. Even though this is science fiction, it reminds me of the movie “I Am Legend” where they found the cure for cancer by introducing a variant of the measles virus into the affected person. This genetically modified measles virus then mutated into a lethal virus that killed 95% of people and left the remaining 5% as super-human but at the same time sub-human creatures. In the same way that in this article the DNA that’s being introduced either disarms or deletes the mutated part of the target gene, in effect that’s what they did in the movie. This would need to go through very extensive trials and testing before being applied to live humans. We would need to know for sure the effects of introducing and/or altering DNA sequences that were not originally there. I do not think that “I Am Legend” could actually happen, but it does make a point. If this is done to an embryo, the only way to really see the results is to see it through until birth, but otherwise who really knows for sure what would happen in an adult human.
Also, if it does prove to be 100% fool-proof, we would then jump into the ethics of it in regards to trying to for the “perfect” humans. Only those with money would really be able to use this technology for these purposes – only widening the inequalities that already exist.
This piece of science sounds quite amazing, but there are so many things to be thought about.
This article was great in that it truly showed the transformation of genetic research. The first genetically altered mice were created in the 1980s by adding small pieces of DNA to mouse embryonic cells. This method is now widely used to create transgenic mice for the study of human disease, but, because it inserts DNA randomly in the genome, researchers can’t target the newly delivered genes to replace existing ones. I had no clue that these methods were so imprecise! Recently, researchers at MIT, the Broad Institute and Rockefeller University have developed a new technique for precisely altering the genomes of living cells by adding or deleting genes. The new system is much more user-friendly, says Feng Zhang, who is a core member of the Broad Institute and MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research. The method is also very precise; scientists can alter several genome sites simultaneously and can achieve much greater control over where new genes are inserted. It “is a significant advancement in the field of genome editing” says Aron Geurts, an associate professor of physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The new system also appears to be more efficient than, and much less expensive than TALEN, a current bioresearch company.
ReplyDelete“Anything that requires engineering of an organism to put in new genes or to modify what’s in the genome will be able to benefit from this,” says Zhang. Among other possible applications, this system could be used to design new therapies for diseases such as Huntington’s disease, which appears to be caused by a single abnormal gene. The system might also be useful for treating HIV by removing patients’ lymphocytes and mutating the CCR5 receptor, through which the virus enters cells. After being put back in the patient, such cells would resist infection. Aside from medical purposes, the researchers say the technology could offer an easy-to-use, less-expensive way to engineer organisms that produce biofuels. Like Mary Dawson, I too am “eager to see the applications for this new technology in the green energy industry.” This could have a great impact on carbon emissions and our effect on the environment. I enjoyed in Harry Walker’s post, where he said, “Already the use of drugs, growth products, and pesticides as spurned the development of higher yielding crops and cattle. This new technology could have potential to have equal, if not greater, effects, without introducing many of the substance deemed hazardous in to the bodies/matter of the intended target.” This is something that did not even cross my mind! It is, however, definitely a potential application for the new technology in a non-medical field.
The new technology presented in the article doesn’t necessarily have to be applied directly to humans, be it medically or non-medically. The articles describes that the new technology can be used “to engineer organisms that produce biofuels; to design animal models to study human disease; and to develop new therapies, among other potential applications.” The applications of the technology in these ways can impact humans indirectly, and I think being clear about that can sort of quell fears about abuse and misuse of the technology in genetically engineering “perfect” humans. Yet one thought I had while reading the article was that “fixes” potentially available by use of these technologies should definitely not alleviate any responsibility individuals can take in preventing disease.
ReplyDeleteAs researchers discover more and more genetic bases of diseases and disorders – such as shared genetic risk factors from a large genetic study of psychiatric disorders (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/health/study-finds-genetic-risk-factors-shared-by-5-psychiatric-disorders.html?_r=0) – technologies as the one described in the article can be used to find treatments and therapies.
It’s interesting to note that a non-medical application many students have brought up is genetically modified food (making it more nutritious, better suited for a climate, etc). Genetically modified foods exist, and there are also some movements against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), such as the Non-GMO Project (http://www.nongmoproject.org/). It's controversial!
This can be applied to the medical field in potentially highly beneficial. Many of the diseases we talked about come from mutations in certain genes. If scientists are able to alter genes they may be able to alter the course of some genetic diseases. Additionally, the article discusses the potential to help with the treatment of Huntington’s disease and HIV. In addition to aiding the medical field, the article also mentions that this can help develop biofuels. I think that this is also an important area that is related to health. Biofuels can help to reduce air pollution and hopefully impact environmental health problems. While I do think this article hints at some very important discoveries when it comes to altering genes, I think that there is still a long way to come before this is something that can be really incorporated into the health field.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though I still lack the information to truly formulate a firm opinion on the new techniques in genome modification. The recent innovations seem to have a multidisciplinary impact that to me was an unexpected surprise. I don’t readily associate research on genomes with the development of biofuels, but this newfound capability offers an intriguing consortion. The work being done to identify and alter the course of Huntington’s disease and HIV seems beneficial at face value, but I am skeptical of the lack of research and long term impact regarding deletion or addition of genes in the DNA and the repercussions it may have on the individual’s quality of life in general.
ReplyDeleteIn the medical field, this new technique could positively impact the course of stem cell research. Making the process both easier and more efficient, findings could become more precise and conclusive.
In the non-medical field, like my peers mentioned above, I think this new technology could advance the way in which food is delivered to the public. However, with the constant controversy of genetically modified food, this might prove to be a sensitive change. In order to be considered a positive shift, the modifications would need to somehow appeal to the public by proving its contribution to health instead of taking the profit-driven approach of consumerism.
So I believe this is a great concept. Being able to accurately affect the genome that we are studying is useful for the sake of making sure the tests are testing what they are supposed to be. From an advancement/ improvement aspect this is great. It basically allows scientist to be precise in their actions regarding altering genome sites! Some ways the article talked about using this technique was in engineering organisms for study, developing new kinds of therapies (i.e. Huntington’s, and HIV via CCR5 receptor), and producing biofuels. The best part is I believe there to be even more applications: involving more accurate and nutritious food production and development, fixing human mutations caused by epigenetic factors, and maybe even curing male-pattern baldness!
ReplyDeleteAll of that seems great, but I’m not sure how ethical accurately manipulating DNA is. I’m not saying that this new technology shouldn’t be done, because I actually do believe this is quite important and amazing stuff, but I do know that certain religious groups may not approve. And there will probably be some political issues as well. With those implications aside, I’m not sure that we can predict future problems with altering DNA. This is especially in regards to altering human and food DNA. I’m not sure if we as humans know all of the repercussions of altering a gene; there could be serious health problems that occur as a result of alteration. However, with more research I’m sure scientists will be able to learn more to make appropriate decisions regarding alteration.
This is a great advancement in genomics and genetic diseases that cause much emotional and physical stress to its victims. As stated in the article, this new technology of adding and deleting genes can be applied to those that are afflicted with Huntington’s Disease or HIV. I recall the comment from ‘In the Family’ from one of the breast cancer victims: “There must be a better way of curing and preventing these diseases other than cutting out body parts.” (or something along those lines). She is exactly right. This is a huge advancement in treating life-threatening diseases, and a much better alternative. However, there will be most likely be unforeseen side effects when a person starts deleting parts of the genome. I think more research must be done in this field, but the future looks promising.
ReplyDeleteI understand the importance of deleting genes that are detrimental to the human genome, but what genes could possibly be added? This again, brings to question the “designer baby” question that many of my other classmates have brought up. Non-medically, this may not be the best idea because people will want to make superior human beings, which could be disastrous.
Testing Blog Reply. Professor Chan
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If you are trying to post, and having difficulty (i.e. your post magically disappears), you may want to the following troubleshooting steps:
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This amazing development by Feng Zhang and his team is one which can lead to great things in the medical field. The ability to delete and add genes with such specificity would be a huge advancement in curing such things as Huntington's Disease, HIV. As other students have mentioned, I think it would also be an amazing way to help fix abnormalities found during prenatal testing. This being said, genetic modification is something which we must be very careful with. Though it would be great if it could cure the things previously mentioned, we can't be completely sure of the side effects or new diseases which could stem from these alterations. The other aspect, which I think could be the most detrimental, is the extent to which we'd use this new system. Society in general is obsessed with the idea of perfection, and if genetic modification could cure abnormalities prior to babies being fully developed, parents would want to alter other things in order to produce a 'perfect' child. If this new system was approved, who would be in the position to decided and limit these advances to specific problems or diseases?
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ReplyDeleteThis new technology can be applied to many areas of research in the medical field. As the article stated, scientists will be able to insert multiple genes in a specific location and delete defective genes. Using it for Huntington's disease and HIV treatments would give those who have those disease a new way to fight them. If a doctor could change the genes of an afflicted individual prenatally, maybe diseases caused by a single abnormal gene could be treated early enough that the baby is cured or has minimal effects of the disease. It can even be used to study brain function. The accuracy and affordability of this new technology allows for more research to be done with this technique to see how far it can go.
ReplyDeleteIn the non-medical field, this new genome-editing technique could be used to make less expensive organisms that produce biofuels. Biofuels are used to generate electricity in a cleaner way that reduces air pollution. If this technology could be used for research on making biofuels more efficient, then it could eventually lead to biofuels being the primary source of getting energy to power our homes and cars.
In the medical field, this technology would be essential for the cure of diseases of ALL types. Cancer, HIV, MS maybe even Dementia could be affected by the ability to manipulate genes this specifically. In unborn fetuses, it may be possible that trisomy 21 can be fixed before the infant is even born. These are all just examples of diseases that could be combatted with this technology, but the list is infinite. As scientists explore these monsters in the microscopic world, it becomes more possible to eradicate them from the inside out. This technology will potentially aid greatly to that end.
ReplyDeleteIn the non-medical field, this could be used for environmental factors. Just an example would be in cases of eco-contaminations (i.e. what happened in australia), gene manipulation like this may be used to stop reproduction to protect the surrounding environments. The same goes for the African bee infestation.
This technology must be in its earlier phase and, therefore, it is unclear whether- for all this potential goodness- theres lies a darker side to gene manipulation. It is an exciting prospect, however. Obviously, this new technology is an incredible step for science & medicine alike. It links with the last article that talk about the fertility testing & therefore also will encounter the same ethical challenges: how far is too far?
The discussion of altering genetics and genetic testing is never ending. I definitely agree that if knowing certain things about one's genetics can save or prevent him/her from getting a severe disease then it's a good idea. However, something about getting tested for no reason is bothersome to me. It is a very challenging decision for a person to make. We should all be active in finding out family history so we can be prepared for what might happen in the future, but we can't live in fear that just because something happened to a family member in the past means that it will happen to you as well.
ReplyDeleteI think it is amazing that we are able to use such complex technology to alter DNA in order to fight certain diseases. As Julia said in her comment above, the amount of diseases this discovery could prevent/treat is countless. This technology is interesting because it can effect our lives on a very real level. It can alter a persons genetics in order for them to stay healthy and disease-free.
Although there are advantages to gene altering, there can be disadvantages as well. I can not say that I fully support gene altering because it seems a bit unnatural to me.
This new technology has a myriad of uses in both medical and non-medical fields. The fact that research in genomics has come this far in recent history is really exciting. I think at this point, we are beginning to find new technologies that we don't clearly know how to handle yet. The idea of having this much control of the genome is a huge ethical debate in science, politics, and society today. The medical benefits of potentially treating Huntington's, HIV, BRCA1, 2, and other genetic diseases seems endless, and as exciting as that is, this is also what scares many people. The benefits are endless, but how much is too much? For me, the benefits of the medical uses of gene targeting outweigh the potential for misuse. I think that if we were to focus future research in one area, medical vs. non-medical, we should invest our time into potential medical uses.
ReplyDeleteWhile the non-medical uses of gene deletion and targeting are definitely beneficial to humans, I don't think that the benefits of this use outweighs the potential harms. I also think that through research, we have found that things like genetically modified foods are not as healthy for humans as fresh organic foods. I think that a further shift in continued mass production of food would lead to more potentials harms. The drive for genetically modified foods is for ease, not for the betterment of human health overall.
This technology is very exciting and promising, I'm very interested to see where it takes both the medical and non-medical fields in the future.
This new technology can be of great benefit for both medical and non-medical uses. As the article points out, it can be used to engineer treatment for Huntington's disease and HIV, as well as other diseases that can be prevented or treated by altering our genetic sequence. I agree with my classmates that researcher's should look into the uses this new system can have for cancer. It's possible that we can modify the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes so that they no longer pose a high risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer in women with the mutation.
ReplyDeleteThe potential harms must be considered along with the benefits as always. In particular, mutating the CCR5 receptor may be advantageous to HIV patients initially, but in the long-run, the virus might circumvent it by mutating into a resistant form that can't be treated. Ethically speaking, we need to be mindful of what we are actually altering. It's unfair to say that a person with Huntington's disease should be stuck with their genetic sequence as it is just because it's unnatural to alter it in a way that would save their life. On the other hand, should we alter genes for purely cosmetic purposes, or "designer babies"?
Non-medical uses include modifying crops so that they can withstand drought and pests. However, this type of modification has already been met with severe political backlash and the same thing is likely to happen if we use this new technology for similar purposes, especially is it's used in humans.
Whether we use this technology for medical or non-medical purposes, we don't know what harmful consequences it may have in the future. Do we alter the genetic sequence of plants and humans and let the outcomes naturally play out? I think more research needs to be done before we start using this promising but questionable technology.
This technology can be applied in a medical field to the improvement of therapy for HIV, to mutate the CCR5 receptor where the virus enters, and Huntington's disease, to design new therapies because it seems to be caused by an abnormality in a single gene. This technology can also be used to enhance lab studies done on animals by making the process of genetic mutation in these studies much more precise. Overall, this technology is a major development for the medical field, and I believe that we are going to see great advancements be made through its application. In a non-medical sense, this new technology can be applied to engineer organisms that produce biofuels, and to make it easier to create genetically mutated food, such as seedless fruits, or any application that can enhance the productivity of the agriculture industry.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the article, I was very skeptical about their findings of new methods to modify the genome. It seemed like they were hyping up this new method but don’t know its long term effects. In fact, I couldn’t help but imagine researchers publishing the same article about homologous recombination or transcription activator-like effector nucleases back in the day when those were first discovered. Nevertheless, I am amazed at the progress in which researchers are able to edit the genome. Although each new finding is a step closer to a cheaper, better, and more efficient way of their goals, I’m not sure there will ever be a perfect method. In my opinion, there will always be a snowball effect when changing a part of DNA because there must be consequences, short term or long term, that occur when making changes. After all, they’re messing with the natural processes of life! Therefore, while it is incredible in the knowledge and progression of applications scientists are finding, I am very doubtful in the direction of research and the end goal that scientists have always been trying to reach.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if such a perfect method were ever to be found, I think the possibilities of life would be endless. In other words, with an expert knowledge of how DNA works with modifications, scientists could potentially look at any DNA of any living thing and alter it to the way they want it. Medically, they’d be able to cure anything. Likewise, they could apply their knowledge non-medically and alter plants, animals, organisms, etc. Ultimately, life would be in their hands, to create or destroy! With that thinking, it is fascinating, yet scary what scientists could do.
I am really astounded reading this article because with this precise piece of technology we can begin to study more about the effects of certain genetics mutations. This technology can hopefully be used to find a way to make IVF less of a risk for mutation in the offspring. Also, it could be used to correct epigenetic factors, which passed along transgenetic mutations that have a adverse effect on future generation.
ReplyDeleteA non-medical field that this technology could be used in is the food industry by contributing to the technology of genetically modified foods. This could be very valuable to future generations to create a sustainable future for crops. The future could be used to isolate nutrient contents in certain foods to create a healthier option than seen in nature. Also, scientists could research the allergenic potential of foods and try to make them less effective to individuals.
At the end of the article it was great to hear that researchers are planning to apply the new technology to study brain function and diseases because with Obama’s new initiative to creating the Brain Activity Map Project. Obama stated that for every dollar invested in the Human Genome Project, $140 was returned into our economy, so I think federally funded projects on discovering the mysteries of human body are an immeasurable investment in our future.
This article demonstrates the amazing advancements that have been made in the last several decades in the fields of genetics and genomics. This new genome-editing technique sounds very promising for major medical advances in the future. It is very reassuring to hear that this technique will be cheaper and more precise than previous genome-editing techniques. Furthermore, I think it is a great idea that this new genome-editing technique has been made available for all people to use.
ReplyDeleteIt is very exciting to read about how in the future, this technique can hopefully be used to treat diseases such as Huntington’s disease and HIV. Since there are currently no cures for diseases such as those listed previously, this new genome-editing technique provides hope that we are one step closer to finding cures for people with these diseases. This new technique seems very promising because it can change a single base-pair, making it incredibly accurate. I hope to hear more about this genome-editing technique in the future and its use in finding better treatments and cures for diseases without currently available cures.
This new technique also shows promise for helping scientists complete research for non-medical reasons. This technique can be used for research purposes in learning more about genes and their interactions with different environmental factors. Scientists have used this technique to study how to alter cells and make the cells perform different functions. There is still so much that we do not know about how genes interact and how different types of cells function. Hopefully this new genome-editing technique can help facilitate further advances in fields such as biology and physiology as well.
As already mentioned in the article, in terms of medical use, this technology may be useful in treating Huntington's Disease and HIV. This would obviously be a huge step in the right direction as the growing HIV epidemic will be put to a halt and it, of course, has been a problem we have been dealing with for decades now. It is exciting because I have hopes that this same technology can be applied to treating a variety of cancers as well in the future. However, I must say that with any type of genetic modification, I remain skeptical as I don't believe we have a full grasp as to what the consequences of this technology may be in the future from this technique. Of course, the technique in the article is glorified by stating how much cheaper it may be compared to current technologies and how accurate it will be by only changing a single base-pair. This type of gene modification, however, will always open up a whole new set of controversial topics as somebody commented above, such as the ethics involved with "Designer Babies." I suppose that with this new technology, future mothers and fathers will be able to eradicate early signs of disease through the use of this technology and basically make their babies exactly how they want. In terms of serious disease treatment though, I believe this technology should not be seen as such an ethical threat as if an individual could choose to eradicate a certain disease they carry, they most definitely would in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of non-medical uses, the current and on-going controversial topic of pesticides used in crop-growing may be addressed with this technology. If this technology proves to be cheap and effective, it may be extremely useful in altering crops to be resistant to certain pests that would otherwise destroy them. The use of such pesticides has been a very hot topic over the past few years as we still are not certain as to what future consequences the eating of such crops treated with pesticides holds for us. They may be completely safe, but they may as well be dangerous, as we have seen the hormonal changes of men and women evolve throughout the past few decades from environmental changes. Either way, I believe this technology may be the answer to many of the current issues we deal with today. With any type of genetic modification, we must remain humble and skeptical because only time will tell exactly how these genetic changes will affect us in the future.
In terms of being applied to the medical field, creating animal models that help scientists study human diseases and developing new therapies would definitely be beneficial. There are millions of diseases that people can get with unknown causes. Being able to study these diseases and breaking down their processes would lead to discovering cures that may have never been discovered. Ethical reasons often come into play when it comes to breaking down diseases in humans. However being able to add or delete the genes in animal testing would offer a broad range of possibilities. In regards to developing therapies, adding specific genes could help defend against mutating invaders. Currently with diseases that have unknown cures, like HIV or Huntington’s disease, people can live with the disease but there is no cure. These diseases have even mutated in some forms and may have different strains. Drugs that are in use for them now may be useless in some cases because they don’t target the right cells. This technology would offer hope and could possibly counter that.
ReplyDeleteIn the non-medical field, having the ability to produce biofuels would be tremendously helpful. Engineering organisms that could be of use would most likely benefit society long-term.
Ethics definitely plays a role in all of this. Being able to edit the genome could call into question what makes someone perfect. In some sense, this may further push social stratification, where not everyone would be able to receive genomic editing. In terms of therapies being widely available and having more of a variety, I think this new discovery is great. However, how affordable and how much availability would there be if this discovery is monopolized? Myriad put a patent on genetic testing so what would happen if that was the case for this discovery as well? What if these nucleases mutate and do not bound to the RNA as they are supposed to? Editing may not always be perfect, even if something specific is targeted. It was even said that, “zinc fingers can’t target every possible sequence of DNA.” What would happen exactly if mistakes were made? Editing may then become more like playing with fire. Even though this discovery could open many doors, there one should always expect new problems to arise because of it.
http://gmf.fas.harvard.edu/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19877154
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15993503
The news for gene deletion can open doors to deleting mutation and correcting these mutations. Deletions can naturally occur to create a disease however a deletion can help repair other mutations like a mismatch or polymorphism. On a non medical side, mutations for phenotype a can be deleted to produce better perceived physical features, such as freckles or hair and eye color.
ReplyDeleteThis is an important advancement in genomics because there are many genetic disease that effect people mentally and physically. As seen in the article, this technology has the ability to add or delete genes which can be applied to people suffering from Huntington’s Disease or those who are HIV positive. This is a large step in prevention of many disease in addition to the ones previously mentioned. For instance, it can be used to treat women with the BRCA1/2 mutations rather than relying on surgery as the only alternative I must assume that there is much more research that needs to be done, but researchers have found a potentially great thing. However, there may be some ethical dilemmas in the area of adding genes. I’m not sure if that will go over so well. Also, as far as non medical, this gene can be used in crops to help them withstand hasher climates.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, this new technology increases the possibilities of genetic mutation. Among being able to be used for engineering organisms that produce biofuels and designing animal models to study human disease, it has the potential to offer hope in treatment for incurable diseases such as HIV and Huntington's disease.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I can see how this new technique may be used in public health. With this mutation being able to insert multiple genes in specific locations and delete defective genes, it has the possibility to prevent diseases caused by genetic mutations or hereditary diseases and shift people's reliance from treatment to prevention. Additionally, being that it's claimed to be easy to use and less expensive allow this technology to potentially be easily accessible to individuals who are interested in this technology.
Regarding non-medical issues, this technology may be used for aesthetics (changing the color of hair and eyes, facial features etc.) Again, being that it is easy to use and less expensive, there might be a growing market for this technology being applied in the cosmetic industry. However, there are obvious ethical issues that may arise if this technology is used in this way, such as it may change the perceptions that people have towards beauty.
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ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing new technology that can not only effect medical field but also non medical fields as well. It involves genomes of living cells by adding or deleting genes, which can be useful in treating and designing new therapies for HIV and Huntington’s. These would be such breakthroughs especially for the rising epidemic of that of HIV. This article is promising: and easy-to-use, less-expensive way to engineer organisms to study human diseases, however there is further research that is necessary. There is also the issue of ethics and say this new technology goes to an extreme, there is the issue of overcrowding as well, if people are treated and immune to all/most illnesses the role of doctors would not be as important and a lot more people would live longer. By targeting different locations on the genomes there are many possibilities of discovering different treatments as well as new unknown diseases. Since DNA carries all of the information for your physical characteristics this new technology can be applied for cosmetic reasons. If a person wants to have different colored eyes and hair it would all be possible with this new technology.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Greenbaum
ReplyDeleteThis new technology is a very powerful tool that can be extremely helpful in protecting against genetic diseases. Other than HIV and Huntington’s which are mentioned in the article, this technology can be helpful for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, as well as congenital defects.
While the ability to add and delete genes offers unlimited opportunities to fix genetic mutations, there are many ethical issues that surround this concept. It is important to keep a clear line between medicine and enhancement. I am absolutely in favor of using this technology to fix debilitating genetic issues but I do not believe it should be used to enhance an individual that has no health issues. I worry that with the introduction of this sort of technology parents may try to engineer their “perfect” child. In a previous class I read a book my Michael Sandel called the “Case Against Perfection”, where the author brings up many valid points about genetic modification. If we can modify the genome to make little enhancements then how can we possibly make a limit to the changes that may occur in the future? This is why it is so important to keep a clear line between medicine and enhancement.
As many of my classmates have pointed out, this technology can also be used to genetically modify food. Although this issue is also slightly controversial, I believe that Genetically modified food can be a great resource in providing nutritious choices to areas of the world that do not have this option. This technology obviously opens up many doors in both medical and nonmedical arenas for human advancement.
As this article briefly states, this technology can be applied to patients with HIV: “The system might also be useful for treating HIV by removing patients’ lymphocytes and mutating the CCR5 receptor, through which the virus enters cells. After being put back in the patient, such cells would resist infection”. I found an article (Efficient Clinical Scale Gene Modification via Zinc Finger Nuclease Targeted Disruption of the HIV Co-Receptor CCR5) from the pubmed search engine that further supports the previous claim. It said “since HIV requires CD4 and a co-receptor, most commonly CCR5, for cellular entry, targeting CCR5 expression is an attractive approach for therapy of HIV infection”. The article concluded that further clinical testing needed to be done in order to approve the technology for treatment. This same method should be tested in the prevention of other similar diseases and illnesses. I also found another article (Zinc finger nucleases: looking toward translation), which discussed the possible ethical issues that could arise due to the increase in interests in ZFN genetic engineering. I could not get full access to the article but I believe it would add an interesting point of view of how this technology would influence the non-medical fields.
ReplyDeleteMs. Dawn Maier, Ms. Andrea L Brennan, Dr. Shuguang Jiang, Dr. Gwendolyn Knowlton Binder-Scholl, Dr. Gary Lee, Dr. Gabriela Plesa, Ms. Zhaohui Zheng, Mr. Julio Cotte, Dr. Carmine Carpenito, Mr. Travis Wood, Ms. S Kaye Spratt, Dr. Dale Ando, Dr. Philip Gregory, Dr. Michael Holmes, Dr. Elena E Perez, Dr. James L Riley, Dr. Richard Carroll, Dr. Carl H June, and Dr. Bruce L Levine. Human Gene Therapy. -Not available-, ahead of print. doi:10.1089/hum.2012.172.
http://www.nature.com/gt/journal/v20/n2/full/gt20122a.html
Medical advancements usually come with a high price. If a new way to alter a gene or a new way to prevent diseases comes out it usually brings a heavy price. The need for lower prices is essential if we want the common people to be able to use the new technologies that are being developed. The positive part about this new technique is that it is a cheaper technique having to do with inserting or modifying new genes. Another positive aspect of this new technique is the preciseness of it. In the article it talked about the history of inserting and modifying genes. It states that the hard part of this technique is to be very precise, but researches at MIT have discovered a better way.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested when I saw that a possible application for this new technique would be new therapies for diseases like Huntington’s disease, the treating of HIV, and making it easier to study human’s diseases in general.
When it comes to alternating a genome or someone DNA I always seem to be skeptical. I like the idea of some sort of chance or gods role in creation. Ethics always come into play as well when talking about altering a gene. I can understand the use of altering genes when it comes to preventing a disease, but I am afraid that people are going to try to create a “perfect baby” and try to control for too much. If these new techniques are used for bettering the public health and improving overall quality of life then I am all for it. This is a very controversy topic and will continue to be a huge debate as new technologies are being developed every day.
In the medical field being able to alter genome sites more accurately and cheaper is a major advancement for science. This new technique of altering genome sites could possibly mean new therapies for people with disease caused by a single gene abnormality like Huntington’s disease and HIV. In a pervious article we read about a CCR5 gene mutation that protects a person from HIV. A drug was being developed to block the CCR5 receptor to prevent HIV but it had bad side effects that weakened and individuals immune system. This new technique would allow an individuals lymphocytes and the mutating CCR5 receptor to be removed and when the cells were put back into the individual, the cell would be resistent. This new technology will allow scientists to study more diseases and hopefully lead to new drugs and treatments.
ReplyDeleteThis article gives nice summary of zinc finger nuclease use for both medical and non-medical purposes. For example, deliberate genetic alterations can be used to create possible therapies for Huntington's disease and HIV. Genetic alterations may also be used to deactivate other genetically influenced diseases that patients are subjected to without a choice. The key lies within the precise nature of the technology, which offers flexibility when it comes to targeting specific problem sections. Feng Zhang, the leader of the research team, also claims that inducing specific mutations in stem cells may be used to create cardiomyocytes or neuron progenitor cells. This has the potential for heart and brain treatments that were unavailable in the past. Perhaps, regeneration of organs with healthy DNA will be possible with further medical advancements. Moreover, the technology opens many doors in non-medical applications, such as genetically modified organisms, or the creation of biofuel material. Creating the perfect crops that may produce high yields in non-ideal conditions, or contain beneficial nutritional content can benefit people across the world. Organisms that can be used efficiently for biofuels can help cut down the need for non-renewable resources. Genetically modifying other organisms can also help cut down the spread of certain diseases, or undesirable characteristics. The possible applications of deliberate genetic alterations using zinc finger nucleases are vast, yet there is still a great deal unknown about the genetic make up of all organisms, including our own. There are also many ethical considerations that must be taken into account, but the potential for beneficial (medical and non-medical) uses should certainly be researched further.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great advancement for medical technology, finding a less expensive, more precise way of altering the human genome. Combining with genetic counseling, they can find if someone has a specific gene mutation and can correct for it before the disease starts. There are many genetic disorders that, like Huntington’s, are caused by a single gene mutation. This new technique can help eliminate or treat disorders like Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle-Cell Anemia, among many others. Many people can benefit from this and as scientists do more research into this topic we can see how this technology can affect diseases that are caused by multiple abnormal genes. It will also be interesting to see how this will be applied to genetic birth defects or if genes can be changed before babies are born. Medically, we can possibly also put it to use it for early intervention treatment of HIV or maybe other viruses. Non-medically, this could be used in genetically modified foods, especially animal products. It could also be used create new sources of biofuels or change the alternative forms of energy that we have already found.
ReplyDeleteI think we should still be weary because this technology is so new we do not know what could happen down the road. The human body, especially our genetic make up is so complicated that changing one thing could affect our genome in the future in ways we are unaware of. Especially with sex-linked disorders, I’m assuming we cannot delete or alter the chromosomes that determine our sex without affecting something relating to fertility or our gender in general.
After reading the article, I was amazed that this type of technology already exists. Precise targeting will have a tremendous amount of benefits for medicine and therapy. The article mentions that it can be used to create new therapies for diseases such as Huntington's disease and for helping treat patients who have HIV by mutating their CCR5 receptor. This new technology could possibly be used for non medical purposes if people choose to have their genes mutated to see what the effect would be.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this new technology has great potential and I think it will be able to save lives one day, there is still much more research that needs to be completed to see if it is safe enough to be properly performed on humans. Another concern I have is whether or not physicians will embrace it because some may be too skeptical. In addition, if this procedure becomes available will health insurance companies reimburse hospitals? I wonder what the success rate will be and if people will actually take the risk of trying this new technology. I personally would not try this new technology because there has not been enough scientific studies performed on humans and I think I would endure many side- effects and complications as a result
Genetic engineering using the technique discussed in the paper (called CRISPR genome engineering according to the website – I find it strange that there is no mention of the name of the technique in the article) has many advantages. First of all it is cheap. If it can be used as a cure for disease (such as HIV and Huntington’s) then it would be a remedy that does not require pharmaceuticals. This is a benefit because many pharmaceutical companies are more worried about profit rather than equal distribution of drugs. However, this might be a problem because a lot of wonderful disease cures come from research funded by big pharma. Without their financial support this type of research might move more slowly that it could otherwise.
ReplyDeleteMy fellow classmate, Maysam, raises an excellent point. Altering the human genome might have unpredictable long-term effects. What if altering the genome to combat HIV makes us vulnerable to a different virus epidemic? This reminds me of invasive alien species - something that is often brought in to help solve one problem and then end up negatively affecting the environment in a way that could not have been predicted. I think an appropriate measure to take would be to make sure people who receive treatments that involve gene-alteration do not have biological children. However, that would be very difficult to control if such treatments become very wide spread.
The ability to modify a living human genome, made possible by this discovery, holds great potential in modern medicine. With the technology to add or delete genes, genetic disorders that result from the mutation of a single gene or short, identifiable gene sequence, can be altered to prevent the disorder from occurring. This new technology can be applied to patients who are predisposed to disorders such as Huntington's, which is 50% inheritable if one parent is affected. If the gene in a disorder like Huntington's is modified, this can be beneficial not only to the patient but to future generations. Without this genetic mutation, that patient can have children without worrying about passing on the gene to their offspring. However, as many of my classmates have mentioned, this advancement should be introduced with caution. With the ability to modify genes and delete detrimental ones comes the possibility of creating "perfect" humans. Those who can afford this type of modification will become the a superior classification of the human race, leaving the less fortunate to cope with diseases and gene mutations that are now not assigned to a socioeconomic class. However, if this advancement in science is used strictly for genetic mutations and hereditary diseases, it can be very beneficial and offer hope to those individuals whose parents or grandparents were affected with the disease.
ReplyDeleteThis new technology is an amazing advancement for both the medical and non medical fields. Altering genome sites, as well as adding/deleting genes in living cells can greatly aid in creating a cure/treatment for Huntington's Disease, HIV, etc. In terms of the non medical field, this technology could be used to increase the production of bio fuels and genetically modify food products (I'm not sure how accepted this will be among people). The medical field use would provide greater benefit to an individual's life, while the non-medical field would provide a greater benefit of profit for companies. However, I wonder how far use of this technology will go. Could parents really design their children? This would be going too far, and really damages the idea of being born unique and without heavy human interference. Having a child would become so competitive. I can just imagine parents going crazy over how exactly to "design" their children. The pregnancy process would become a million times more stressful and very unexciting. Parents would no longer be curious about their children's qualities. It would all just be so strange...
ReplyDeleteThis technology is very impressive. I think that there is great potential to use this technology for medical good, especially with the treatment of Huntington's and HIV, as the article stated. These are two conditions that currently do not have another solution so it would be great to see improved treatment in these areas. There is also the possibility of using this technology for the production of food and bio fuel. Changes in these industries could have a huge impact on the world, and even our health. There is always the ethical issues associated with this advanced technology including increased risk of unethical gene selection and attempting to create the perfect child. As long as this new technology (once further developed) is used with caution, I think it has the potential to improve health and possibly change our food and agriculture industry.
ReplyDeleteThis technology sounds amazing. Too good to be true, even. While this technology sounds hopeful and impressive, one has to wonder how exactly is this going to work in our society? The article mentions that this type of gene therapy could be a potential cure for Huntington’s and HIV. It would certainly be remarkable if this were the case. My first concern though is that once we start editing and deleting genes, there is no return. While a gene may cause one disease, it may also be a protective factor for another more serious disease. I think there is just too much unknown about the human genome and the exact function of each individual gene. If there is one this I have learned thus far in the class is that the genome is complex and does not act in a linear fashion. By this I mean that our epigenomes change depending on the behaviors and exposures of our predecessors. Our genes themselves mutate during replication. They can mutate by interacting with the environment, for better or for worse. With so much dynamic activity occurring, I find this “magic bullet” cure a little too good to be true.
ReplyDeleteFor example, imagine that someone has disease X. Geneticists discover that to cure disease X all you have to do is delete gene Y. They add the nucleases necessary, target this precise gene, and delete it. The individual is cured from the disease. But, imagine if this particular gene functioned also to help with another function in the body not realized before. So now gene Y is gone as well as disease X, but now the individual could be at risk for a slew of other medical problems. Additionally, this is keeping the scenario relatively simple. This doesn’t factor in whether or not the gene functions along with others to produce necessary proteins for other functions. This does not factor in how the environment will now interact with the genome.
While gene therapy could be a wonderful tool, it could very easily be like opening Pandora’s box. We think we’ve got adequate knowledge to handle the curiosities that lie within only to find out that our interference is what will eventually ruin us. Tampering with something as delicate, dynamic, and misunderstood as human DNA could be grave.
This new technology I believe is something that we could truly benefit from. To be able to delete and add genes would be an amazing advancement in curing the diseases mentioned in the article, Huntington’s disease and HIV as well as other diseases such as dementia, cancer, MS etc. Where there are many advantages to this new technology both medically and non-medically, in my opinion it just doesn’t seem fully right. As I mentioned above, I think this technology is amazing but it seems a bit extreme. Being able to alter/change one’s DNA is just unnatural. I understand the new possibilities it will bring to the field of medicine, I just think there needs to be more research done. With more research, people will have a better understanding of any complications that may arise with gene alteration.
ReplyDeleteThe article presents interesting findings that have real implications for the future of disease therapy and both medical and non-medical research fields. The technology that has been under development proves to be quite revolutionary. This is a great step in being able to alter critical irreversible diseases. Being able to alter DNA through deletion is both exciting and frightening. Although still at a developmental level, this new DNA technology could be a solution to various genetic illnesses and developed diseases. The application has to be taken with a bit of caution. As mentioned by some of my classmates, genetic engineering and modifications of organisms can prove to be a very controversial direction that this type of research can be taken to. I'm interested to see how this research develops and whether it will have further implications for genetic counselling and testing.
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses new techniques in altering genomes. The new technology uses modified bacterial proteins that natural defend against viruses. With this new technology scientists can alter several genes simultaneously and can it gives them greater control over where new genes are inserted. Previous technologies such as homologous recombination has a low success rate because the natural recombination process is rare in normal cells. Scientists tried to improve this process by adding enzymes called nucleases, but zinc finger arrays, which are used to deliver the nucleases can’t target every possible sequence of DNA. It is also expensive and take a lot of labor to create these enzymes. The new technology uses naturally occurring bacterial protein-RNA, which can recognize and snip viral DNA. With the use of a nuclease called Cas9 and DNA-editing complexes, these sequences are designed to target specific locations in the genome; when they encounter a match, Cas9 cuts the DNA. This technology can be applied to be used in therapies for diseases like Huntington's disease, a disease that is caused by abnormal genes. New studies are being conducted to examine the new technology further.
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about new technology in the field of genomics that allows researchers to alter human genomes. In the medical field, this new technology could be used as a therapy for diseases like Huntington's disease and cancer. If the new technology proves successful in treating diseases caused by abnormal genes, many lives would be saved. However, this technology also opens the door to altering the human genome for non-medical reasons. With technology like this, people may decide that they want to change their genome for personal reasons. These personal reasons may include the desire to change physical characteristics such as hair, eye, or skin color. If this was allowed, parents would have the opportunity to change the genome of themselves, and potentially their children to fit their own personal desires.
ReplyDeleteAltering the genome through human made technology is not something that has ever really been done before, so the repercussions of using this technology are unknown. There is still much that is unclear about the human genome, and altering it in the ways stated in this article could potentially have harmful side-effects for the people undergoing this kind of therapy.
This new technology that gives rise to the ability to edit the genome with high precision definitely has some implications when being applied to the medical field. Testing this technique in animal models can have a significant beneficial impact on the research and etiology of many different diseases. The precise ability to manipulate the genome in specific ways will allow scientists to discover the mechanisms of these diseases, what specific pathways they affect, and how they go about doing so. This will benefit medicine because if you know the mechanism of a disease and what it directly affects, than the process of creating an efficient therapeutic means is facilitated. An issue with this is the protocol in which scientists would carry out these techniques on animals. Depending on the severity of cruelly involved will definitely affect the acceptance of this technique into society for ethical reasons. Also, the benefits must outweigh the costs.
ReplyDeleteIn the medical field, this new technology can be used as therapy for Huntington's Disease, HIV, and cancer. This could perhaps lead to the eradication of such diseases. I would be weary of more research in gene modification. I would be worried of this technology being available to the public. Parents could perhaps want to choose the hair, eye, and skin color of their children. I also would not want for researchers to experiment with human DNA, which has the potential for disastrous effects. My other concern with this technology being used in the medical field would be, what disease get chosen to get deleted out of someone's genome and which don't. Who would determine this? And what if people start requesting to use this technology to get rid of things in their genome that they don't like so it's not passed on to their children (i.e. an eye color they don't like or low height). I feel that this technology should be extremely tightly controlled. I just see so many ethical challenges with this technology, even though I think its great and has the potential to save so many lives.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that could come to mind for this technology being applied in a non-medical field would be in the food industry. Perhaps this technology could be used to improve the dietary value of foods that aren't the healthiest, or making fruits and vegetables even more nutritious than they already are. I'm currently enrolled in a non-communicable diseases course, in which obesity is talked about at length. So that's why this idea came to mind. If this technology could be applied to food, perhaps obesity could be greatly reduced or eradicated, as I stipulated for Huntington's, HIV, and cancer. Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but I don't think that we should limit the good things that research can do.
It is breathtaking and exciting to be able to witness the development of genome editing methods that are now so precise. To realize that we are now able to edit such a small fraction of our DNA with such precision is extremely impressive when compared to the imprecise techniques used to create the genetically altered mice. The best part is the fact that this field is only going to continue to grow, leading to better and more precision and therefore more beneficial techniques and methods.
ReplyDeleteThe potential applications are also quite fascinating to think about. In the medical field, they will better be able to target diseases that are only caused by one mutation and be able to genetically alter the genome in order to get rid of the pre-disposed genetic condition. To be able to do this in an efficient and relatively cheap manner is amazing, considering that some of the diseases that it could help cure were once thought to be unavoidable. However, considering it's novelty, I must wonder how precise these methods really are. Furthermore, would there be any potential adverse affects? Being that this is new, no one knows what the outcomes would actually be. Is there not always a potential that the medical team mistakenly alter another genetic aspect in the process? Introducing this technique would open the door to many potential benefits, but also to many potential drawbacks.
Another concern would have to be for the guidelines that would merit such a procedure. Would it only be restricted for those that are dealing with a medical condition or is this something that could eventually serve for aesthetic purposes such as having blues eyes or blonde hair. Where would we draw the line? I must say, despite the potential conflicts that would arise from such techniques, I do believe that the benefits of curing once to be believed incurable disease would outweigh the bad and make its introduction of use in the medical and non-medical fields worth it.
Having the ability to alter the genome of certain organisms in such a precise manner will give us the ability to make great advances in preventing and curing many diseases. Being able to pinpoint such exact targets in the genome will open the door to cures for the countless diseases that are caused by genetic mutations. Advances in this field are going to make this type of procedure extremely common in the future and our health as a population will surely benefit in a medical sense. My biggest concern is with this sort of power, people can often get side tracked and use this technology for the wrong reasons. Instead of trying to cure and prevent disease I can very easily see people having the desire to use these precise methods to genetically modify human beings. This will likely result in people trying to produce a "perfect" human being which many people will claim to be morally and ethically wrong on multiple levels.
ReplyDeleteIt is exciting to learn that the we are now able to alter genome in a more precise manner. According to the article, the technology to be able to the alter the genome more precisely can be used in both medical and non-medical practices to helps us both in research and in therapy for genetic conditions. One of the non-medical ways that this technology can be used is engineering organisms that produce bio fuel. Also the using this technology to design animal models to use to study human disease and in turn be able to develop new therapies. A clinical way that this technology can be used is for improving gene therapy for diseases that are caused by abnormal genes. Some of the diseases mentioned in the article are Huntington's disease and HIV. By being able to alter one gene with precision there can be better outcomes for diseases such as these. Although this new found technology can lead to many great advanced for science, the ethical considerations of being able to have such precision in altering the genome may must be considered as we move forward in using such technologies.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly exciting new that not only can we now alter or delete part of the genome but that they have discovered a more cost efficient way to do so. If further technologies for wide spread diseases are created because of this discovery having cost efficient methods could allow for greater access for those who may not be able to afford the treatment or therapy otherwise. Advancing studies in animals in selecting genomes to delete or alter could make developing these treatments and therapies a quicker process.
ReplyDeleteThis approach could facilitate our understanding and studying of human disease. Medically, this is a huge advancement, being able to do so cheaply as well as effectively. The method of removing the lymphocytes of HIV patients, mutating the CCR5 receptor, and then putting the cells back in the patients, now inhibiting infection. Also, there are methods of combatting Huntington's and other diseases that contribute to medical knowledge. Genetic variation continuously emerges and evolves which is why experimenting with addition and deletion of genes could aid in tackling problems at their source (genes). In non-medical fields, genetic variation also plays a huge indirect role because gene alteration can have an effect on all aspects of life; not just in the medical field.
ReplyDeleteThis article reminds me of the scene in Gattaca where Vincent's parents visit the geneticist, who deletes his younger brother's genes which he considers inferior to give him the best chance in life. He argued that there are enough imperfections built into humans already, so genetic imperfection was unnecessary when the technology to correct such flaws were available.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP1cCjBkWZU
So reading this article made me think of that possibility arising. Although the researchers argued that it would be used to engineer organisms to make biofuels, study human disease and create therapies, they did not mention using it to make humans more genetically perfect, which will become a debated topic if the technology is perfected and made widely available.
But as for the benefits of this technology, we will be able to treat genetic diseases like Huntington's and HIV, so the burdens of those diseases will be lessened tremendously. And making biofuels will be good too because of the eventual depletion of oil reserves in the ground. So I think the benefits outweigh the risks, but we still have to be careful with a technology as powerful as this one, as we cannot predict all of the possibilities this can create.
Adding or deleting genes in living cells can benefit many different fields, both medical and non-medical. As the article specified there can be cells added to make biofuel which will help both the environment and economy as it can make it much less expensive. Although the new technology is always exciting, there are always risks and research that needs to be conducted. But in this case the benefits from therapy which can be completed because of this such as Cystic Fibrosis, this is a disease in which I have a vested interest as a small child very close to me suffers from this disease. Seeing a cure in my lifetime which could help to save her is something that I would donate much time and research to. This is something I know many people who would help with and as this is a disease which affects largely children and a majority will not live passed the age of 30. This creates a large burden on the younger population which many people have sympathy with. This medical effect would be the most beneficial to me and my life. Although I do not agree with designing the "perfect" baby I do think that this new technology could be used to benefit those who are suffering from such diseases and improve their quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comments that this new genome editing system is very exciting news. The idea of being able to disrupt the function of a gene or replace it with a new one seems incredible, and like the article says, may be the key to new therapies in treating disease. A more efficient treatment for Huntington's disease, or creating cells resistant to infection to treat HIV, could make a huge impact on individual’s quality of life and may even lessen the burden of these diseases in the future. I could also see this technology being used in other ways besides human gene expression. For example engineering resistant crops or food sources that would normally be susceptible to insects or climate could make a difference in global public health by reducing hunger. This kind of work has already been approached but this new technique could mean more efficient or cost effective ways. However, I also share the worry of some of the previous commenters, that this science would probably only be available to the wealthy, at least originally, and could be used in unethical ways like producing the “perfect human” or child. I do find it admirable that the research team made the effort to make the components widely available to other researchers who want to use the system and created a website to share tips and tools for using it.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! As someone who is interested in HIV prevention this could revolutionize treatment and the acquisition of HIV. This technique can be used to alter the CCR5 receptor, the part of the cell where the virus enters. If the gene for the receptor is mutated and changes the confirmation of the receptor HIV cannot enter lymphocytes. This would make cell resistant to infection!
ReplyDeleteWe have to be careful how this technology is use though. If it advances to a point where you can edit the genome, will people select for certain phenotypes? The ethics of a slippery slope come up as Liz Mathew and other of my peers have said.
This vast advancement in technology provides us with opportunities that far exceed any we've had so far. In terms of its medical use, it provides us with a much more efficient - and somehow less expensive - way to alter with genetics. We can now experiment with cures for Huntington's Disease and Cystic Fibrosis, which were previously thought to have no cures. There are numbers of people who can benefit immensely from this advancement in that they'll be cured or prevented from having the disease at all [if we find a vaccine based off our discovery or some other preventive medicine]. I think it is a likely possibility that we will be able to use this technology to prevent birth defects or other diseases before a child is born. We can use it to pinpoint certain abnormalities in an unborn child and remove the abnormality before it takes effect. Of course this leads to ethical issues, but I think it is a human right to have the option to prevent illness and disease as much as possible, especially in our own children. We can also potentially use this technology by exploring the options on diseases caused from multiple abnormal genes, like certain cancers or heart disease.
ReplyDeleteNon-medical benefits would probably revolve mostly around food products, since this is such an issue worldwide. The technology can be used to change genes the produce larger quantities of food, create better taste, or keep the foods fresh for longer. There are probably many ways to alter the genes and help produce more and better foods. Again, this may cause controversy but it would definitely solve the hunger issue if we used the developments to our advantage.
There is so much potential in both the medical and non-medical fields with this discovery. We have a more efficient and cheap way to target diseases and [hopefully] cure them, and we can use this discovery to help the human population and lower the prevalence of disease. There are of course other benefits as well, like modifying foods to help feed more people or produce better taste, and the technology should be taken advantage of as much as possible to do the most good as possible in this world.
The new technology for adding or subtracting genes can help to cure genetic diseases and even possibly decide what traits our genetics are. In the medical world, this new technology could mean the end of numerous genetic diseases (Klinefelter, Huntingston, Tay Sachs, Etc.) In addition, fixing these diseases could eventually lead to the complete eradication of all these diseases since the number of carriers will drop as more people are treated. As of now this technology has the potential to help infants babies with their conditions before they start to take root and effect their lives.
ReplyDeleteBeyond the medical usage of curing diseases, genetic editing has the possibility of changing any part of a human being by changing their genetic makeup. This is a complicated subject because it could possibly lead down a road where we are choosing who we end up becoming beyond birth. We could potentially create a new brand of human that genetically superior than a natural born human, which would lead to a split between people who are genetically altered and naturally born humans.
When looking at the medical field, this genetic alteration technique can be viewed as a great leap forward in medicine. In class, it was mentioned that all cancers were linked to genetics, if this technique is perfected, cancers can be prevented and treated effectively without relapse. Genetic diseases, disorders, and syndromes can also be cured with a simple altering of genetics. Although before any of this can happen, the technique must be perfected.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the non-medical fields, the article had mentioned genetically engineering organisms to produce biofuels. This would end the need to dig up every inch of the earth to supply the global demand of fuel. Genetics of produce like corn can even be altered to be able to survive in the desert or extremely dry land like cactuses can. This can potentially end hunger in areas of Africa near or in the Sahara. These are only a few of the things that can be done if genes can be modified, the possibilities are almost limitless.
This find has amazing implications for the world of research and genetic diseases. The fact that this technique is significantly cheaper, more accurate and faster than the current leading technique has already put it at the forefront of genetic research. Within the medical field there are countless opportunities for gene alteration to cure diseases, reduce or completely eliminate risks of cancer, even mitigate genetic pre-dispositions for things like alcoholism, diabetes,and heart disease. However, this also opens doors for us to flex our 'playing God' muscles, and take the development further than what's intended. There are precautions that must be taken when talking about altering genes. As Maysam Homsi mentioned earlier, trying to "cure" HIV by altering the CCR5 gene could open the door for other infections or diseases to mutate and find a way into the CD4 cells. Without understanding the possible outcomes or side-effects of specific gene alterations, we could be unleashing new problems while trying to fix our current ones. While I know this may sound too paranoid, I think some of this discussion about genetic alteration possibilities reminds me of "Frankenstein". In this stage of tremendous scientific advancements, we still need to proceed with caution, understanding our limits, not to inhibit or downplay amazing scientific progress, but to take into consideration the full spectrum of possibilities, benefits and consequences.
ReplyDeleteAs for non-medical fields, I think there's already been a substantial market of GMO's which have enhanced our produce, crops, livestock and poultry, but again there may be hormonal imbalances as a result, causing a lot of people to shy away from GMO foods. The biofuel aspect was not one that I originally considered, but would be interested in seeing how that could pan out in the years to come.
sorry this post above is from Lauren Chan
DeleteThis technology could be applied by deleting genes in humans that increase an individual’s risk for developing a certain disease. It could also be applied by inserting a gene that would increase protection from developing a specific disease. This technology could be applied in a non-medical field by inserting genes for certain physical characteristics that would increase height or alter hair or eye color. It could also be used to research which genes provide a genetic predisposition for intelligence, aggression, shyness, and other personality characteristics.
ReplyDeleteThis technology could be applied by deleting genes in humans that increase an individual’s risk for developing a certain disease. It could also be applied by inserting a gene that would increase protection from developing a specific disease. This technology could be applied in a non-medical field by inserting genes for certain physical characteristics that would increase height or alter hair or eye color. It could also be used to research which genes provide a genetic predisposition for intelligence, aggression, shyness, and other personality characteristics.
ReplyDeletehello every one my name is MALINDA JIL BARNES i am from US CALIFORNIA, i have been suffering from (HIV) disease for the last Three years and had constant pain, especially in my knees. During the first year, I had faith in God that i would be healed someday.This disease started circulating all over my body and i have been taking treatment from my doctor, few weeks ago i was searching on the internet if i could get any information concerning the prevention of this disease, on my search i saw a testimony of someone who has been healed from HIV by this Man DR OZI and she also gave the email address of this man and advise we should contact him for any sickness that he would be of help, so i wrote to Dr. OZI telling him about my (HIV) he told me not to worry that i was going to be cured!! hmm i never believed it,, well after all the procedures and remedy given to me by this man few weeks later i started experiencing changes all over me as the Dr. OZI assured me that i have cured, after some time i went to my doctor to confirmed if i have be finally healed behold it was TRUE So friends my advise is if you have such sickness or any other at all you can email Dr. OZI on droziherbalcurehome@gmail.com or you can also whatsapp him on +2348060858046
ReplyDeleteAm indeed grateful for the help, i will forever recommend you to my friends. He also have the herb to cure
(1) CANCER,
(2) DIABETES,
(3) HIV&AIDS,
(4) URINARY TRACT INFECTION,
(5) CANCER,
(6) IMPOTENCE,
(7) BARENESS/INFERTILITY
(8) DIARRHEA
(9) ASTHMA…