Scientists Sound Alarm Over Potential Emergence of Genetically Modified Humans

by Amando Flavio Activist Post

It is already understood that a genetically modified organism is one whose DNA has been deliberately changed through genetic engineering. Typically, this involves splicing in genetic material from another life form—whether bacterial, plant, viral, or animal.

After years of modifying animals and plants, scientists are now turning their attention to humans. The era of genetically modified human beings appears to be approaching.

A novel gene-editing tool known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is being hailed by researchers as a potential game-changer for biology. For quite some time, scientists have been exploring various gene-editing methods in hopes of finding the most effective way to alter human DNA. This quest has already led to modifications in the genes of plants and animals.

With the advent of CRISPR, scientists can now edit human genes with remarkable accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability. To date, researchers claim to have employed CRISPR to produce monkeys with targeted mutations aimed at preventing HIV infection in human cells. In 2015, a team of Chinese scientists reported successfully creating a genetically modified human embryo using CRISPR. The following year, in April 2016, the same group announced they had modified another human embryo.

Even before that second announcement, in February 2016, British regulators granted permission for scientists to genetically modify human embryos using CRISPR-Cas9 and similar methods. Due to ethical and legal constraints, those embryos were required to be destroyed after seven days.

These milestones clearly indicate that scientists will soon begin editing human genes, provided governments grant approval.

A U.S.-based private biotechnology firm called Editas Medicine has stated its intention to produce the first genetically modified humans by 2017. The company plans to initiate initial trials shortly.

Editas Medicine claims it is on track to become the world’s first laboratory to 'genetically edit' the DNA of individuals with a genetic condition. Specifically, the company is focusing on a blinding disease known as Leber congenital amaurosis. This disorder disrupts the normal functioning of the retina—the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. It manifests at birth or within the first few months of life, and those affected may eventually lose their sight entirely.

Experts explain that the condition is hereditary and results from defects in a gene responsible for producing a protein essential for vision.

Using the CRISPR editing technique, Editas Medicine scientists believe they can correct the mutated DNA.

Katrine Bosley, Chief Executive of Editas Medicine, told a conference in the United States that the company hopes to begin testing the technology on blind patients in 2017. Although human gene editing is currently prohibited in the U.S., Bosley noted that the company has applied for a special exemption from the nation’s health regulators.

However, despite Editas Medicine’s optimism about applying the technology to humans, some scientists and observers have voiced concerns. The technology fundamentally alters a person’s genetic code, which could then be inherited by future generations. Even proponents of CRISPR acknowledge that it may have unintended effects on other parts of the genome and could pave the way for designer babies—infants whose genetic makeup is selected to eliminate specific defects or ensure the presence of particular genes.

“CRISPR is an incredibly exciting technology, and it clearly holds great promise that is drawing researchers worldwide. If we are to realize its potential, the technology must be rigorously examined through high-quality biomedical research that undergoes ethical review and peer scrutiny. Otherwise, families desperate for cures may fall prey to appealing but premature offers from overzealous advocates of the technology,” said Alastair Kent of the Genetic Alliance.

Some observers also caution that scientists should refrain from seeking out lenient regulatory environments for clinical applications of the technology until its full implications have been thoroughly debated by scientific and governmental bodies.

Additionally, some researchers who support basic research on CRISPR argue that the technology is not yet mature enough for any clinical use that would introduce heritable changes in humans.

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