SHOULD GENETIC ENGINEERING

BE ALLOWED?
WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?
(Also called genetic manipulation or genetic modification)

•The direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology.

•The alteration of an organism's genetic, or hereditary, material to eliminate

undesirable characteristics or to produce desirable new ones.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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, a biochemist at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study. 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, Reidhaar-Olson told Live Science.
HISTORY
The potential to alter genes to build better athletes was immediately realized with the
invention of so-called "Schwarzenegger mice" in the late 1990s. These mice were given
this nickname because they were genetically engineered to have increased muscle
growth and strength (McPherron et al., 1997; Barton-Davis et al., 1998). The goal in
developing these mice was to study muscle disease and reverse the decreased muscle
mass that occurs with aging. (Grobet et al., 1997). Schwarzenegger mice highlight
scientists' newfound ability to induce muscle development through genetic engineering,
which brings up the evident advantages for athletes.
 GENETIC ENGINEERING OF
HUMANS IN THE UK
On February of 2016, the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) made a landmark
decision to grant scientists in London permission to genetically edit human embryos.

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute will be able to use a system called CRISPR/Cas9 (which is like an IRL
copy-and-paste tool for DNA) to modify the genes of developing embryos, with the goal of improving IVF
success rates and reducing miscarriages.

This is the first time a national regulatory body anywhere in the world has given the procedure the green
light, and it's a huge day for science. But the move has also sparked a lot of concern about the creation of
designer babies.

Only one group of scientists, led by molecular biologist Kathy Niakan, has been given permission to use
CRISPR/Cas9 on human embryos, for the sole purpose of better understanding human embryo development.
The research team will be working on embryos donated by women who have previously undergone IVF and
have excess embryos.
Source: Fiona Mcdonald, ScienceAlert
PROS AND CONS OF GENETIC
ENGINEERING IN HUMANS
PROS CONS
•Tackling and Defeating Diseases •May Lead to Genetic Defects
•Getting Rid of All Illnesses in Young and •It may go too far
Unborn Children
•Potential to Live Longer
•We will be able to increase the complexity of
our DNA, and improve human race
•This work could finally reveal how a healthy
human embryo develops