The Next Step in Evolution?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/health/crispr-gene-editing-embryos.html

CRISPR, for those who have not heard of it before, is a gene-editing technique, used to alter a gene in human embryos. The embryo is then implanted into the womb of the mother, and then born nine months later… Theoretically…

Due mostly to ethical concerns, but also concerns about safety, CRISPR’s legality is considered to be; “Murky, at best,” according to TheVerge.com. Loose guidelines and ethics “basically” prohibit this editing of the human germ line in the United States.

Earlier this week, however, a Chinese biologist named He Jiankui said he used  CRISPR to confer HIV resistance to twin girls named “Lulu” and “Nana”. These claims have not been confirmed, but already many feathers have been ruffled in the scientific community.

Much of the worlds population feels that if we allow the genetic engineering our babies, we will enter a scenario similar to that in the movie “Gattaca” (Look it up if you don’t understand the reference).

Experts say that, “gene editing babies was irresponsible, risky and unnecessary”. The CRISPR process done by He Jiankui disabled the CCR5 gene which creates a protein which allows HIV to spread between white blood cells. Sounds good right? Well… Yeah.

The problem arises with “off target effects,” many of which can be deadly. Although the embryos can be screened for these effects, many experts consider these screenings to still be limited. If anything was missed in these screenings, it could lead to a very premature death for either Lulu or Nana, and the cause would ultimately trace back to CRISPR.

The strangest thing about this use of CRISPR is that it probably wasn’t even the most effective way to prevent HIV in embryos, when embryos are created using IVF (in vitro fertilization) sperm can be “washed” to ensure the embryo is HIV-free — which was the case for the sperm used to create the babies.

Dr. Hurlbut, an expert in gene editing said; “There’s no medical reason for this intervention … unless these children are exposed to HIV sometime in the future, but the risk of that is no higher than anywhere else.”

There are many risks in using gene editing, especially before the technique is perfected. Should CRISPR be more accessible? Is it ethically wrong? Is it the choice of individual sets of parents? Let me know in the comments below.