Argumentative Essay On Gene Editing

Cancer, heart disease, blood disorders, nerve disorders, and many more genetic diseases are affecting millions of people around the world. The more society advances, the more degenerate diseases are affecting the citizens. For a number of years researchers have been searching for cures. With new developments in gene editing, treatments for many diseases are just around the corner. Gene editing with new technology, CRISPR, matches with a specific gene and splits the protein. The researchers then combine the broken gene with a healthy gene. This new healthy gene is now modified and free from the mutation it had before. Although many individuals’ ethics and morals stand in the way of gene editing, this technology affects society in many different

Also, gene editing can get rid of conditions in unborn children. A breakthrough gene editing tool, CRISPR, is allowing researchers to be more and more accurate when modifying genes. This new technology allows researchers to begin to edit embryos and edit the genes that will lead to illness and disease. Preexisting conditions such as hemophilia, thalassemia, Tay-Sachs disease, spinal muscular atrophy, and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy can all be treated by gene therapy. Tay-Sachs disease and spinal muscular atrophy both affect the brain and spinal nerves and neurons. Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy is a disorder where a person’s muscles degenerate. Hemophilia and thalassemia are both genetic blood disorders, which would be treated similarly to sickle cell anemia. Hereditary diseases or rare disorders can be removed from the child 's life, however gene editing on embryos is often questioned whether or not it is ethical. They are worried experimenting on embryos can lead to people custom making their babies and that doing this can minimize the unique traits everyone has, but gene editing is not about choosing a baby 's eye color or changing their appearance. George Daley, a director at Boston Children 's Hospital, knows that when gene editing research is "misunderstood or condemned" it "would undermine its many potentially life-changing benefits" (Maldarelli 2). Gene editing is about changing a child 's life by taking away an illness that would affect their future indefinitely.

In addition to helping unborn babies and ending hereditary diseases, gene editing can be used to cure and treat a variety of conditions and diseases. In society today, the population of developed countries is dying because of diseases like cancer and heart disease. Gene editing can modify different cells in the human body to attack cancer cells and heal damaged tissue. Recently, scientists used gene editing therapy to make a leukemia patient cancer-free. The researchers treated the patient by modifying her T cells into CAR T cells, which would track and destroy cancer cells. The researchers also made the cells invisible to the rest of the cells in her body or else the other cells would attack the CAR T cells because they would be considered foreign to her body. Once the CAR T cells were in the patient’s body, the results showed that the treatment was successful (Saey). This shows that gene editing can help treat cancer, which would be a huge medical breakthrough. Also, gene editing can help treat serious eye conditions. Researchers can modify mutated genes that are causing the eye conditions. They are able to use gene editing technology on adult stem cells, which are able to transform into any cell that is needed. The transformed stem cells would be able to repair any damaged tissue of the eye, helping treat the eye conditions (Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week). While many people focus on the many medical possibilities that would come with gene editing, others are