The Future of Genetics

I continued my research by looking into the genetic engineering of human cells. Before I started searching, there were certain things I wanted to find out: the pros and cons, how scientists transfer desired traits from one cell to another, and if their are any forms of genetic engineering used in humans today.

Many great things can come from genetic engineering in humans. Infact, it may guarantee the survival of the human race. If Earth continues to change, humans will either adapt or die. Genetic engineering will help us adapt and evolve. Also, it would save many lives. According to Crystal Lombardo, “Genetic engineering could help to prevent a lot of problems that occur at birth. Fewer children would suffer from tragic diseases that eliminate the possibility of a long, fulfilling life. Instead of worrying about Fragile X or Cystic Fibrosis, parents would simply use genetic engineering to fix the codes” ("Human Genetic Engineering Pros And Cons."). This is a great benefit of GE and would help many families that tend to have disease in their family. It could strengthen the human genome as well. Although you may not believe it, GE could strengthen certain qualities at childbirth and make future generations smarter, stronger, better looking, etc.

However, the disadvantages give a strong argument, too. It would create a new class of humanity where it would be obvious whether you had GE genes or not and that could affect your social standpoint and also determine what careers you can do. Fixing mutations might also just cause more mutations to occur. Just as the super weeds were created, GE may also create “super diseases” or non beneficial mutations. It sits on the issues with whether or not it is ethical. With many people who religiously believe in God, genetic engineering may not be acceptable. They most likely feel that no one has the right to “play God” and we should let things take their own path.

The technique used to genetically modify cells involves an enzyme complex, known as CRISPR/Cas9, that is found in many bacteria. Tanya Lewis, a science journalist, explains, “CRISPR (short for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats"), is a short, repeated sequence of RNA that matches the genetic sequence the researcher wants to modify” ("China Shocks World by Genetically Engineering Human Embryos."). It works with Cas9, an enzyme that cuts DNA like a pair of molecular scissors. “First, the CRISPR/Cas9 complex searches through the cell's DNA until it finds and binds to a sequence that matches the CRISPR, said John Reidhaar Olson,” says a biochemist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. “Then, the Cas9 cuts the DNA. Lastly, the cell repairs the cut, in this case by inserting a piece of DNA supplied by the experimenter” (Lewis). Compared to the process of transferring genes in plants, GE is simpler in humans.