Move Over CRISPR- New DNA Surgery on Embryos Removes Disease

September 28, 2017

The fundamental building blocks of DNA are the bases adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine, and they are commonly referred to by their respective first letters, A, C, G and T. Combinations of these four letters make up the blueprint and programming of the human body. There are over 3 billion of these letters and the BBC reports that scientists at Sun Yat-sen University in China successfully removed one of them. In this case, it was to eliminate a genetic disease.

Known as base editing, researchers manipulated the genetic code that causes beta-thalassemia, a life-threatening disease of the blood. This disorder is classified as a point mutation because it is caused by a single base error.

This breakthrough in China is derived from the CRISPR technology that has already been in the headlines for several years. CRISPR works by breaking DNA and deactivating gene instructions. CRISPR also provides the opportunity to insert new genetic information.

The new method is more sophisticated than CRISPR and was compared to chemical surgery, by base editing pioneer David Liu. He also described it as more efficient and having fewer potential side effects: "About two-thirds of known human genetic variants associated with disease are point mutations. So base editing has the potential to directly correct, or reproduce for research purposes, many pathogenic [mutations]."

The error in the genetic code of the base edited embryo was switched back, but the potential dangers and ethical dilemmas posed by genetically modified children cannot be excised so easily. In fact, gene editing has become so mainstream there are classes on the topic available at community colleges and DIY kits you can order online. Even middle school students may learn the basics of gene editing in science class, with some comparing the new technology to computer coding a few decades ago.

For better or worse, medicine and reproductive technology is about to take a massive leap; we're quickly entering an era where the human genome can be tinkered with for any number of reasons. Unfortunately, if genetically engineered foods are any indication, such a leap may turn out to be just another factor in our own undoing.

The dangers of gene-editing technology need to be carefully considered and an ethical approach adopted. The technology has been moving full-steam ahead, with a trial in humans already started, even as the repercussions of gene editing remain largely unknown.

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