The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Finds No Major Ethical Problems With Genetically Editing Human

National Academy of Sciences endorses embryonic engineering

• The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a non-governmental organisation that acts as an official adviser to the US government on science and technology.
• The NAS published its position on the research made into genetically editing human embryos, and it’s positive.
• In light of the recent breakthroughs in gene editing, the NAS held a summit on human genome editing in Washington, DC, where they discussed which applications should be accepted or prohibited.
• They examined early embryos, eggs, sperm and tissues used for reproduction as well as modifications done to nonreproductive tissues throughout a person’s lifetime.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the USA has published their opinion on the research made into genetically editing human embryos

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the USA has published their opinion on the research made into genetically editing human embryos. The NAS is a non-profit organization, chartered by Congress. The NAS has published a report on genetically editing human embryos, which is based on a study done over a period of a year. The study found no major ethical problems with genetically editing human embryos.

The research done by NAS shows that with further testing gene editing techniques can be used to remove inherited disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease, from human populations

CRISPR is a collection of DNA sequences and proteins that can be used to edit genomes. It has been noted that CRISPR is able to more accurately target specific positions in the genome than other methods, and different variations of the technology carry out different functions with varying degrees of efficiency. The main use for CRISPR technology has been editing crops to make them more resistant to pests or viruses.

CRISPR works by removing parts of an organism’s DNA and replacing it with a new sequence, much like how one would change a tire on their car. This process can be used in embryos, which are made up entirely of cells containing DNA, or in adult organisms that are composed of tissues containing cells full of DNA.

The research done by NAS shows that with further testing gene editing techniques can be used to remove inherited disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease, from human populations.

Dr. Richard Hynes, a molecular biologist at MIT called it “a historic moment”.

Dr. Richard Hynes, a molecular biologist at MIT, called it “a historic moment”. Dr. Hynes, who chaired a committee of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that spent two years studying the ethics and safety of editing human embryos, gushed about how exciting it is to be working in such interesting fields of science. “We are at an inflection point,” he said. “There are bound to be unintended consequences.”

The NAS report says researchers should avoid implanting edited embryos into women’s wombs until they learn more about any health risks they may pose. In addition to making permanent changes to sperm and egg DNA that could affect future generations, scientists could also create embryos through cloning or parthenogenesis (when eggs develop without being fertilized).

Dr. Hynes chaired one of three committees that have studied the use of genetic modification in early infants for over a year and has found no major ethical problems with the practice.

National Academy of Sciences chairman Dr. Hynes is quick to point out that any decision to use embryonic engineering must come from a medical professional, after thorough testing and with full parental consent.

Dr. Hynes says that the practice will likely be safe and effective in treating certain diseases, but could have unforeseen consequences.

Embryonic engineering is about to become a reality

• Embryonic engineering, as a technology, is still in its infancy. The process, called nuclear transfer (NT), has only been used successfully on non-human primates so far.
• NT is likely to be a very expensive procedure and the costs could limit access to it.
• NT might have unknown side effects that are not apparent until the patient reaches adulthood or middle age.
• There are ethical concerns about using embryonic cells for research or development of treatments and cures for diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
• The procedure is likely to be illegal in many countries due to ethical concerns over what constitutes life at conception; however there are some countries that have legalized prenatal testing with DNA samples taken from amniotic fluid or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

Bottom Line

It looks like we are getting closer to the day when genetically engineering humans won’t be just science fiction anymore. The next step would be getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is a permanent federal regulatory agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, one of the largest agencies in the US government.