Genetic Modification: Dyslexia And Obesity

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Due Date: Genetic Modification In a world where mankind has already set foot on the moon, nothing appears to be farfetched. Everything happening today appears to be a game or the actualization of a person’s dreams. With each passing day, the world gets to hear of an outstanding discovery or an experiment that proves the existent of something. The first time the genetic modification was mentioned, everyone thought it was a joke and that humankind could never get to a point where it is possible. However, when news broke out about Dr. He Jiankui’s success, the world has been left to reel over the possibilities that genetic modification provides. Dr. Jiankui posted a video on YouTube saying that “he impregnated a woman with embryos that had been edited to disable the genetic pathway HIV uses to infect cells” (Cyranoski and Ledford). In the video, he also claims that the twin girls are safe and healthy with their parents. His work is yet to be verified and is not published yet in peer-reviewed journals, but if what he says is true, then the world is moving to a new phase. The possibility of certain conditions being eliminated as well as sparing children certain conditions that impede their development has become more probable. While people like Dr. Jiankui would like the world to view genetic modification from this standpoint, it is crucial also to consider the disadvantages or the downside of the same. One obvious downside is the reinforcement of the current instances of discrimination. The others include the irreversibility of the genetic changes, the complexity of the development of human traits, and the enhancement of the notion that human beings are perfect artifacts or should seek to attain perfection. So, in the end, the world could be led to an unforgettable path unless strict policies regarding genetic modification are adopted to help ensure medical practitioners remain or operate within the set rules and regulations. Parents all over the world fixate over the idea of protecting their children from conditions that are hereditary. Well, genetic modification offers them this opportunity, and this represents a great addition to the world today. Questions have been asked about how the world could finally be able to cure diseases by editing genes. However, since the inception of CRISPR, many questions have been answered. CRISPR is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. In his 2015 article, Jin notes that CRISPR is “the name for a natural defense system that bacteria use to fend off harmful infections.” This genetic tool has indeed brought a lot of hope into the medical field. Harper and O’Neill (2017) explain that it works like “molecular scissors to cut and paste DNA.” They continue to say that it has “the ability to recognize invading virus DNA, cut it and integrate this cut sequence into its genome – allowing the bacterium to render itself immune to future infections of viruses with similar DNA.” In 2017, the world woke up to the news that scientists from the U.S. had successfully edited human embryos. Such projects could be used to help correct mutations from inheritable conditions. For this particular study, Ma et al. (2017) describe how they were able to correct the heterozygous MYBPC3 mutation. In this procedure, Ma and her colleagues used “CRISPR-Cas9-based targeting accuracy and high homology-directed repair efficiency by activating an endogenous, germline-specific DNA repair response.” What the above shows are the possibility of the world being able to rid itself of certain heritable conditions finally. It should be noted that currently, CRISPR gene editing cancer trials are undergoing in China and the world could see more of these experiments in the future. In their 2017 article, Baylis and McLeod note that “the trial in China (currently underway) is for patients with stage IV metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The prospective trial in the United States is for patients with melanoma, synovial sarcoma, and multiple myeloma.” These are but some of the conditions that the world could be able to eliminate rendering future generations free from these conditions. So, from the perspective of enhancing the health of the world, genetic modification seems justified. Aside from eliminating diseases, genetic modification could also be of great help in helping spare children from disorders like dyslexia and obesity. In a 2008 Washington Post article, an ethics professor from Dartmouth College wrote an essay titled Building Baby From the Genes Up. In this article, Ronald Green alluded to a world where genetic modification offers everyone a chance to live an ordinary life free from conditions such as obesity. “With knowledge comes power. If we understand the genetic causes of obesity, for example, we can intervene using embryo selection to produce a child with a reduced genetic likelihood of getting fat.” He continues to say that with such an intervention, children will be spared lifetimes of having to eat right or experience any health issues that come with obesity. Professor Green does make a credible statement here because if it can be stopped, why should the world hesitate in making the steps to adopt such a plan? A 2018 study by the University of California appears to indicate that the world could be closer to a future without instances of obesity. Using the CRISPR gene editing tool, the world could be able to cut fat. Aside from conditions like obesity, the world would be in a much better place writes Green if “cognitive problems like dyslexia” are eliminated as well. Green then poses the following question: “Why should a child struggle with reading difficulties when we could alter the genes responsible for the problem?” Well, Green does seem to strike a nerve here because it appears unfair to poses a solution to a problem and refuse to make use of it. But even with the above-assured benefits of genetic modification, in the end, will the world be a better place? The answer to the question above is no. It is possible to be carried away by the so-called benefits of genetic modification and forget about the dangers that it possess. Firstly, if misused or misapplied, genetic modification has the potential to enhance existing inequalities. It is possible that genetic modification could reinforce the current instances of discrimination. Genetic modification is going to be expensive, particularly when it is introduced. In such a case, only wealthy parents would be in a position to afford the process of enhancing their children. The outcome could be close...