Deadly gene mutations removed from human embryos in landmark study

OrbitalDawn

OrbitalDawn

Ulysses Everett McGill
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Groundbreaking project corrects faulty DNA linked to fatal heart condition and raises hopes for parents who risk passing on genetic diseases

Scientists have modified human embryos to remove genetic mutations that cause heart failure in otherwise healthy young people in a landmark demonstration of the controversial procedure.

It is the first time that human embryos have had their genomes edited outside China, where researchers have performed a handful of small studies to see whether the approach could prevent inherited diseases from being passed on from one generation to the next.

While none of the research so far has created babies from modified embryos, a move that would be illegal in many countries, the work represents a milestone in scientists’ efforts to master the technique and brings the prospect of human clinical trials one step closer.

The work focused on an inherited form of heart disease, but scientists believe the same approach could work for other conditions caused by single gene mutations, such as cystic fibrosis and certain kinds of breast cancer.

“This embryo gene correction method, if proven safe, can potentially be used to prevent transmission of genetic disease to future generations,” said Paula Amato, a fertility specialist involved in the US-Korean study at Oregon Health and Science University.

The scientists used a powerful gene editing tool called Crispr-Cas9 to fix mutations in embryos made with the sperm of a man who inherited a heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. The disease, which leads to a thickening of the heart’s muscular wall, affects one in 500 people and is a common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people.
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Reminds me of the song by Queen, "Who wants to live forever". Amazing stuff though.
 
About damn time. Finally, we as a species will be able to prevent genetic diseases and the resulting monstrous costs - both financial and emotional - that they impose upon sufferers.
 
I'm excited. I have a daughter with Cystic Fibrosis, which for now is a death sentence. If technology could have saved us what we go through I would have leapt on the opportunity (had I known we had the gene that is). That is the other issue. So many people walk around with a recessive gene not knowing if they are unlucky in who they marry its the kids that will get the pair of gene's.
 
Nice to hear this. How long will it take until the scientists can modify the brain genes of (my future) babies? I want their brains to become twice as large? Especially the parts involved in intelligence (prefrontal cortex). I am still young, however in 10 or so years I plan to have 1 or 2 children. Now that will be something to look forward to.
 
ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Nice to hear this. How long will it take until the scientists can modify the brain genes of (my future) babies? I want their brains to become twice as large? Especially the parts involved in intelligence (prefrontal cortex). I am still young, however in 10 or so years I plan to have 1 or 2 children. Now that will be something to look forward to.
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So what will that ensure? Your child would be smart but at what cost? What if the child is so intelligent that it is no longer able to get on with similar aged kids? Kids can be nasty you know.
Anyways they modified it by removing genetic mutations, they are not putting genetic mutations in professor Xavier.
 
Well, if the body size (muscles) are accordingly large, the somewhat larger head won't change the overall looks. At least not that much. And my kids won't be the only ones. Bring it on ....
 
ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Well, if the body size (muscles) are accordingly large, the somewhat larger head won't change the overall looks. At least not that much. And my kids won't be the only ones. Bring it on ....
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Do you hate your wife? Our heads are already too large for woman to give birth easily.
 
ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Well, if the body size (muscles) are accordingly large, the somewhat larger head won't change the overall looks. At least not that much. And my kids won't be the only ones. Bring it on ....
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Ok enough internet for me today.
 
We could remove that mutant Y chromosome from the human race?
Then reproduce by abiogenesis?
 
ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Nice to hear this. How long will it take until the scientists can modify the brain genes of (my future) babies? I want their brains to become twice as large? Especially the parts involved in intelligence (prefrontal cortex). I am still young, however in 10 or so years I plan to have 1 or 2 children. Now that will be something to look forward to.
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I don't believe that any sort of modifications to "enhance" people should be carried out, only to remove genes that are actively harmful. Otherwise you end up in the situation where the rich can pay to have smarter children, which essentially leads to a human race divided across genetic and social lines - which is the exact opposite of what we need.

If genetic enhancement is to be allowed, it has to be regulated and available to everyone - regardless of social status - to prevent a dystopia.
 
ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Well, if the body size (muscles) are accordingly large, the somewhat larger head won't change the overall looks. At least not that much. And my kids won't be the only ones. Bring it on ....
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/inb4 the procedure is prohibitively expensive and your kids end up in the "slow" class for children with normal brains.
 
The_Assimilator said:
I don't believe that any sort of modifications to "enhance" people should be carried out, only to remove genes that are actively harmful. Otherwise you end up in the situation where the rich can pay to have smarter children, which essentially leads to a human race divided across genetic and social lines - which is the exact opposite of what we need.

If genetic enhancement is to be allowed, it has to be regulated and available to everyone - regardless of social status - to prevent a dystopia.
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And this is why it will be kept secret by the elites. Congratulations.
 
Aquila ka Hecate said:
We could remove that mutant Y chromosome from the human race?
Then reproduce by abiogenesis?
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Which human race are you referring to? OK, in South Africa, if no race is mentioned, I take it you refer to the majority. (Or are you merely confusing race with species?)
 
The_Assimilator said:
I don't believe that any sort of modifications to "enhance" people should be carried out, only to remove genes that are actively harmful.
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Yeah, but just think how difficult it'll be to stop such progress: We're at a point in the future where we can enhance people to make them more intelligent. Do we:

1.) Proceed because more intelligence = better, or
2.) Not proceed because equality > intelligence.

We don't make illegal private schools or universities that only some people can afford; would enhancing humans be much different?
 
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