The Pros And Cons Of CRISPR/Cas9

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As new technology is developed to modify the human, people are conflicted due to the ethical issues tied to it. Decisions of the future of altering genetic information need to be made to set limits on what is acceptable. Due to the lack of guidelines, misunderstanding of the scientific potential of advanced technology has created restrictions on translational research in genetic modification technology. With gene editing technology, it will have a huge potential as a therapeutic tool in the fight against diseases. It can lower the disease burden and benefit lots of people around the world over time. Some diseases cannot be cured through medication or other types of current technology which is then passed to the next generation. The advantages …show more content…

It can delete DNA sequences and change DNA mutations. The endonuclease is a part of a prokaryotic adaptive immune system which can cleave infecting DNA and store short unfamiliar sequences of incoming viruses and plasmids in the host genome of invaded bacteria (Vassena 2016). CRISPR can work well with those with Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and thalassemia where the single gene is affected. This technology has been used to create animal models, control infection of bacteria and viruses, and correct defective genes (Singh 2017). The potential of CRISPR is a large spectrum it can be applied to biomedical, therapeutic, industrial, and biotechnological industries. With such large implications for the future, CRISPR technology should not be halted because of the potential risks that it may face without proper developing. Development of these medical therapeutics, diagnostic tools and improvement of bioproducts regulatory strategies should be fully defined (Heidari 2017). Once it is defined, people will understand the ways that bioengineering should be applied and have a better understanding of the subject. There are so many other genetic engineering technologies such as intro fertilization and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis in question of future use (Savulescu …show more content…

Germline gene therapy can change several future generations. This would help spare the future generations that could be affected by the genetic disorder. Though we should also consider the effects that it may have on the future fetus’ development and long-term side effects that are not yet known (Clarke 2014). Because those who would be affected by this technology are not born yet, they are not able to choose to have the treatment done on them. While in the womb, doctors can detect if the child would be born with Down’s syndrome (Clarke 2014). With Huntington’s there is a large chance of the parent passing down the disease to the child or the parent will become carriers for the disease for their future children to inherit the disease. The parent may be able to have an abortion, but with genetic engineering, they would no longer have to decide to have an abortion because it can cure diseases and illness in unborn children. All children will be born healthy and strong at birth with genetic engineering. The problem is a making this choice for our future babies. We are making choices for the future every day such as buying houses and other choices that would affect our future. To move on, we must set the course of the future and make those

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