Genetic modification
has been performed on plants and animals for many decades now, but it
has not been until more recent times that the focus has turned to
humans. This is a very touchy subject because it greatly challenges
the age old definition of humanity. To many genetic modification is
seen as a horrible and terrifying dark art while to others it is the
great savior of humanity and planet Earth. Genome mapping for humans
was completed in 2003 by the human genome project. With the
completion of the human genome project people are able to have their
genes tested to check whether or not they are carriers for certain
diseases and the possibility of passing them down to their children.
One methodology of
testing for whether or not a couples children will have specific
genetic diseases is to have them send a lab egg and sperm samples
from the prospective parents. With those samples the lab will
fertilize the egg then let it mature for a few days, after this
maturation period a cell will be taken from the egg and tested to see
if it contains the genetic diseases that are to be tested for. If
the embryo does it will be discarded then another will be tested
until one which does not contain any of the disease is created. This
is a slow and time consuming process which also requires the parents
to send egg and sperm samples to the lab, which to some may be too
much to ask for, and to some it may be seen as the same as abortion.
This is where a new company GenePeeks hopes to make a difference in
the field.
GenePeeks was
created by Anne Morriss due to the fact that the sperm which she was
donated had the same genetic mutation she had which caused her child
to be born with a MCAD deficiency. Currently GenePeeks's services
are only available to women who are looking to receive sperm
donations to have a child at the cost of 2000 dollars. What makes
GenePeeks so different from previous testing methods that is does not
involve embryo fertilization just genetic samples from both the donor
and the receiver. They use a specialized algorithm, invented by
geneticist Lee Silver, which simulates around a thousand “babies”
and tests whether the targeted diseases come back positive or
negative. Currently there is a limiting factor on GenePeeks's
ability which is that is only able to test for simpler single gene
disorders. That does include thousands of disorders but it does not
touch upon more complex disorders such as diabetes and heart disease.
The moral issues
behind this are astronomical. Will such technologies and services
lead to a genetically modified race of super humans such as how
humans genetically modified chickens to increase their size and yield
or will the services be kept clean of this political side of the
technology and only be used to test whether or not a child will be
born with certain genetic diseases. I believe that this is a field
that is subject to have limits set on what a couple, or even just a
scientist, may be able to do with an embryo. I believe that what
Stephen Hsu mentions in his article should not be allowed. The over
genetic modifications of humans is a dark path which I do not think
science should be allowed to go down.
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