Today in biology the field of genetics is its own ever-expanding branch; geneticists can now tell us the entire blueprint for the human body due to a project completed in the early 2000s called the ‘Human Genome Project’, over 30,000 genes have been coded and the chromosomes that house them logged in a complete set of DNAs which can show what makes a human being.
A genome is the complete set of deoxyribonucleic acid, a chemical compound that contains the genetic instructions needed to develop and direct the activities of every organism. DNA molecules are a helix made of two strands. Each strand is made of four chemical units, called nucleotide bases. The bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). Bases on opposite strands pair up; an A always pairs with a T, and a C always with a G (genome.gov).
By understanding what each and every gene within the body does enables geneticists to research ways to ‘improve’ or ‘fix’ genes within humans, gene therapy is the process of using genes themselves to treat or prevent disease; using a technique called gene cloning where an identical copy, or multiple copies, of a gene is made artificially in the lab. Using enzymes to isolate the wanted gene and placing it into a plasmid and then a bacterium to create more of the same gene.
The part of the gene to be altered is then put into another piece of DNA and recombinant DNA is created, a circular version of the original DNA which can be multiplied at will and then used within gene therapy. This is still a relatively new way of treating illness and is not without risks and failure though it is a promising technique for many treatments of a number of diseases, it is yet unknown what other effects altering a gene and replacing it back in the human may have. Nonetheless it is already being used, stem cell therapy is already widely associated with cancer treatments and using these blank cells to replace damaged cells can be the only option of treatment for some patients. Stem cells, preferably your own, or donor are harvested and transplanted into for the area of the body for treatment in the hope the stem cell will develop into healthy versions of the cells that have been affected by disease.
On the surface the debate of gene therapy seems simple, scientists have the ability to fix a faulty gene and make a person well again, they even, in theory, have the ability to precisely pin point which gene will make a person unwell and fix that before you are even born. This then must raise the question of ethics, and who or and what is being decided as requiring such a fix and how far could one go to create the ideal of perfect human?
To be able to have nuanced understanding of the contours of these issues requires a through knowledge of the facts, since the completion of the human genome project in 2003 many questions have been raised across the scientific community and indeed following various debates the use of human genomes is tightly regulated by the world governing body. On occasion the media will pick up a story on gene therapy and it can been seen that some level of fearmongering can be provoked, it is easy spin genome editing in a negative fashion when you look at the possibility of germline editing, the possibility of altering a baby’s genes before they are even born. In the case of inherited dieses being passed from parent to child this appears to be a logical and sensible step in the future of preventative medicine, ‘’means of correcting disease-causing DNA mutations in gametes or preimplantation embryos have now been developed and can provide a path forward for safe, high-efficiency germline gene therapy that may provide a promising new paradigm for preventing the passage of deleterious genes from parent to child.’’(wolf.p)
In this context the positives of gene therapy are very apparent, the gift of being able to ensure that a person’s child will not have to suffer in the way that a previous generation has however so much is still unknown in regard to the longer term effects of changing DNA at such an early stage of development is also brings human rights to the forefront of the ethical debate, the idea of gene therapy is controversial when involving embryos and while it could spare future generations it is also raises the issue of informed consent, the person being ‘mutated’ is not yet born and cannot give their consent and not enough is known to properly allow the parents of the embryos the ability to weigh up potential risks. Worldwide there is strict law and regulations in place meaning that genetic engineering of this nature is not happening and there are substantial restrictions on its use.
It is important to look at the facts as the gene technology or therapy is more of an umbrella term. Somatic gene therapies involve modifying a patient’s DNA to treat or cure a disease caused by a genetic mutation, scientists take blood stem cells from a patient, correct the genetic mutation causing them to produce defective blood cells, then infuse the “corrected” cells back into the patient, where they produce healthy hemoglobin. The treatment changes the patient’s blood cells, but not his or her sperm or eggs.
Germline human genome editing, on the other hand, alters the genome of a human embryo at its earliest stages. This may affect every cell, which means it has an impact not only on the person who may result, but possibly on his or her descendants (M.T Bergman).
It can be seen that the knowledge of this type of gene therapy does exist is enough to raise big ethical and social concerns for many people and the potential that this level of control over future generations; the 2016 book by Henry T. Greely is a prophecy into this future, ‘The end of sex and the future of human reproduction’ tells of the possibility of prospective parents being able to be told as much as they wish to know about the genetic makeup of dozens of embryos, and they will pick one or two for implantation, gestation, and birth. And it will be safe, lawful, easy, and free Greely states (H.T. Greely) Though how this viewed is certainly an argument of two halves and perhaps it is better to approach the potentials of gene therapy with trepidation rather than fear.
Due to a development in genetic engineering it is now faster and cheaper than ever to produce changes in a human genome. Early forms of genetic engineering relied on viruses to insert new genes, a relatively inefficient and haphazard process, the development of a technique called CRISPR has made gene editing cheaper, quicker and far more accurate than before (Geede.L). CRISPER and genetic technologies are being used every day now across the world to help with worldwide food production and agriculture and is as a big a debate as use of gene therapy in humans, but the benefits are being clearly seen (P. Christou). Knowledge and accuracy within the field of genetics has moved on since ‘Dolly the Sheep’, where the cloning of an animal was a first for the world and it could be argued that the speed of these changes can leave ethical and social debates far behind, of course the ability to cure or eradicate debilitating dieses such as cerebral palsy, early onset dementia or even some cancers is nothing short of wonderful and surely needs celebrating but famously across the world it does not take much for extreme intolerance to become a norm, becoming less tolerant of disabilities and living in a world of genetic favouritism is surely a risk that must be looked at.
As with any new strides of technologies, it may be the rich who benefit first, widening as ever the divide between societies. Will having the choice the change our very genetic makeup at will teach people they are less valuable to society for not fitting an arbitrary and narrow definition of what it is to be ‘healthy and correct’, it can only be described as ableist to make a requirement of self-worth your physical health, this immediately looks at people in today’s society who have chronic illness, impairments, addictions or mental health issues as lesser than human and can be seen as judging humanity by only their physical selves and not what it means to be really a person, our ability to find joy, love and care for one another and complex traits such as intelligence which seem to arise from an elaborate interplay of nature and nurture is not yet able to be unpicked by science alone.