Mohamed Elashry

Professor: Joseph Boisvere

10/21/2020

Scientific Controversy Paper

Genetic  Engineering and How It Is Used.

     Genetic engineering is a wide field with many disciplines.  This paper will examine gene therapy, an advanced approach that uses genes to cure or avoid illnesses. Gene therapy is a process in which doctors insert genes into a patient’s offspring prior to birth. This technique allows the doctor to adjust a  child’s genes according to the parent or guardian’s request. Some clinicians will use gene therapy in the future instead of using medicine or surgery because of how cheap and easy it will be for the patients. It may also be used to help prevent some genetic diseases such as cancer and diabetes that may run in certain families. Today I want to talk about three techniques that are being used in gene therapy,  the first being Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, which is the simplest one of them. The second one is the Talens technique, and  the last is CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.) These techniques can all be used to determine the outcome of a child’s genes,  and with the technology we have today, we are extremely close to being able to use all of these methods on humans. In this paper, I will be discussing the pros and cons of these different types of gene therapy.

Abstract  

With many fields, genetic engineering is a wide field. This paper would look at gene therapy, an experimental approach that uses genes to treat disorders or eliminate them. Gene therapy is a procedure in which, before birth, physicians inject genes into the children of a recipient. This procedure helps the doctor to change the genes of an infant according to the request of the parent or guardian. Owing to how inexpensive and simple it can be for patients, some doctors will use gene therapy in the future instead of using drugs or surgery. It may also be used to help eliminate certain inherited disorders that may be present in certain families, such as cancer and diabetes. This procedure helps the doctor to change the genes of an infant according to the request of the parent or guardian. Owing to how inexpensive and simple it can be for patients, some doctors will use gene therapy in the future instead of using drugs or surgery. It may also be used to help eliminate certain inherited disorders that may be present in certain families, such as cancer and diabetes. Instead it includes choosing between viable eggs for the one that best satisfies what parents want. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis does not change the genes. It needs no editing of the gene. It can be used, for example, to scan for diseases or to predetermine his, her, their, etc. gender. Such enzymes that can be designed to remove some portions of the DNA strands are Talens (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases). Then this segment is replaced so that edits can be made. In theory, this approach can be used to target any part of DNA and has been used to design some criteria for plants, fuel, and even pets. Among the other methods, CRISPR (Clustered Frequently Interspaced Brief Palindromic Repeats) is the most difficult technique. It is a mechanism that has been discovered in the DNA sequence of certain bacteria comprising their DNA snippets of the DNA of viruses that have previously targeted them by replicating the procedure by which this new DNA becomes part of their own to allow, in principle, edits to be made to some part of the genome once again. In this paper we will take look how dangers this. When we get to use them too much the first thing these methods can get pricey as all medical treatment is becoming more expensive here in the United States, not just in the United States, it is becoming more expensive all over the world. The second thing is that we can not value anything but fine, which is a feeling. So, if we could pick anything for our child in the future, there will be a normal for this. The more you spend, the more perfect your kid is going to be. Which shows it is dangeour and not safe to use on humans.

  

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

      As mentioned before, this is the simplest one of them all. This event was used first on humans in 1978. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis does not change the genes Instead, it involves selecting between viable eggs for the one that best satisfies what parents want. It does not require any gene editing. It can be used, for example, to scan for diseases or to predetermine his, her, their, etc. gender. According to The New York Times, this event was first used by  Robert G. Edwards and Patrick Steptoe. There was a case in which was “Lesley and John Brown tried to conceive a child but failed for 9 years” (Haberman,1). So, they went to Doctor Robert and he used the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis technique, that he “She came into being through a process of in vitro fertilization by Her father’s sperm was mixed with her mother’s egg in a petri dish, and the resulting embryo was then implanted into the womb for normal development.”(Haberman,1)Until today Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis has helped Many couples conceive healthy kids and are usually considered a good activity. A recent long-term study of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in mice, however, indicates that this technique can increase the risks of adult weight gain and memory loss. Not only is this Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis not considered 100 percent safe, everything is not 100 percent safe but the error does big destruction. The Errors in the method of embryo research, which are very rare, but do happen. Harm during the biopsy to the embryo. So, on one hand, it is affordable which is around 5k to 6K dollars compared to other surgeries and it can be used to prevent babies from a family genetic disease. On the other hand, it is not 100 percent safe and it harms the biopsy to the embryo. It is rare but still, there is a chance of happening.

  Talens 

      Talens (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases) are some enzymes that can be engineered to extract some portions of the strands of DNA. This section is then substituted so that edits can be made. This technique can be used in principle to target any part of DNA and has been used to design some requirements for plants, fuel, and even pets. Still, Talens has not been used on humans because they are not safe enough to be used but with the technology we have, it is so clear we would be able to use it soon. This method could also provide treatments for genetic disorders such as monogenic conditions such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis. This event is used very often in agriculture, and we can see it in our food today such as the Watermelon that has no seeds inside it or yellow from inside this watermelon has been Talens which means that they cut or add some part in the plant standard DNA. So, it would go with the life we live today.  Will this technique not been used on humans but the experiment on the plants showed a large number of plants getting disordered genes, and some of the plants died. This shows that instead of fixing genetic plants it killed them. But Talens was amazingly successful in Singapore where they created mosquitoes that do not bite and they cause sterility to other mosquitoes that lead to stop spreading diseases that are carried by mosquitoes, but the only down point is that they have to keep creating mosquitoes and spread them or they will create an unbalanced ecosystem.

 CRISPR

    CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) which is the most complicated technique among the other techniques. It is a process that was discovered in the DNA sequence of certain bacteria their DNA contained snippets of the DNA of viruses that have previously attacked them the method by which this new DNA becomes a part of their own has been replicated to allow this again, in theory, allows edits to be made to any part of the genome. Still, CRISPR is not safe to use on humans. while in China it is being used on Animals such as Monkeys and dogs as mentioned “It’s not just monkeys. China’s researchers have racked up a long list of CRISPR firsts in dogs, mice, rats, pigs, and rabbits”(cohen,3). The study offers higher-quality foods, cattle that are disease-resistant, and modern human transplant medical therapies and organs. The CRISPR method is, in theory, extremely precise, but in reality, it is not. In the genome, it may cause mutations elsewhere, known as ‘off-target’ modifications. Off-target results are random and can affect other genes or genome regions unduly. While CRISPR is not expensive but it takes a long term it takes months if not years to just form a single side of the DNA. Researchers created glow in the dark cats in 2001. The researchers took a gene from the glowing jellyfish and incorporated it into the house cats’ unfertilized eggs. It was a cool trick, but they had broader targets in mind. They also made cats more vulnerable to feline resistance from a form of AIDS. We as humans in fact share around 90% of our DNA with the cats. So if it works on cats then it should work on humans. Until now nothing is dangerous about CRISPR but what if you know that we shortly in the future would be able to use this technique to choose our child height, Type of hair, eye color, Skin color everything about your baby, and even resistance to some diseases and viruses is not this cool. 

    Now let me tell you about all the down parts and the cons of these all techniques. The first thing these techniques will get expensive when we get to use them too much as here in the United States all medical care is getting more expensive not only in the United States it is getting more expensive all over the world. The second thing which is an emotion we would not respect anything except perfect. So if in the future we would be able to choose everything about our child there will be a standard for this. which is the more you pay the more perfect your child will be. Which will make us lose that kind of feeling where we wait to see our baby see how he/she looks. even how the parents wait 3-4 months until they know the gender type. we will close the gender reveal parties. The third cons that techniques are not 100 percent accurate in which if parents paid for a doctor to get specific gender and the baby came opposite gender as they requested may cause the parent to form abortion. which will lead to more kids dying from abortion. our point is not abortion is right or not but genetic will lead to more abortions being made. because these techniques will never be 100 percent accurate. Based on science these techniques are inappropriate to be used for the long term on humans and they should be used only if needed. because as mentioned they cause weight gain memory loss and sometimes cancer. Not only this as we saw many plants had died while they were practicing Talens on them which shows how dangerous these techniques are.   

    Overall they are new techniques some of them have been tested on humans and it did work and some still are not safe enough to use on humans. Some of them were very successful in animals and insects while others were very harmful to plants. In my opinion and scientific opinion, we may use them to prevent family diseases in children but if we do not need them then it is better to not use them.

• CRISPR-Cas9 System: “A New-Fangled Dawn in Gene Editing”. 2019, www-sciencedirect-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/science/article/pii/S0024320519305624?via=ihub. 
• Haberman, Clyde. “Scientists Can Design ‘Better’ Babies. Should They?” 11 June 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/06/10/us/11retro-baby-genetics.html. 
• Jon CohenJul. 31, 2019, et al. “China’s CRISPR Push in Animals Promises Better Meat, Novel Therapies, and Pig Organs for People.” Science, 2 Aug. 2019, www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/07/china-s-crispr-push-animals-promises-better-meat-novel-therapies-and-pig-organs-people.