Summary
From an initial cost of $US2.7 billion, the cost of sequencing anyone’s genome dropped to $US100 million in 2001 and today costs less than $US500, rapidly approaching $US100 per person. This blog is about enabling anyone to live a normal life by fixing inherited diseases.
There are about 6,000 diseases that are inherited. Eventually, they could all be fixed by gene editing, but the main ones now are cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, and forms of muscular dystrophy.
As technology advances, the number of treatable diseases will grow significantly, including cancer and problems caused by environmental exposure, etc. See below for more details.
How Does Genome Editing Work?
One of the most promising tools for gene editing is CRISPR-Cas9, a system that has revolutionised genetic research. CRISPR-Cas9 acts like a pair of molecular scissors that can be programmed to target a specific gene. Once the scissors cut the DNA, scientists can remove the faulty gene and replace it with a healthy copy. This could potentially cure or prevent a wide range of inherited diseases.
The Benefits and Ethical Considerations
The benefits of genome editing are huge. It offers hope for families affected by genetic diseases and could significantly reduce these conditions and others not hereditary in individuals and society. However, the technology also raises important ethical questions.
Should we be altering the human genome, which could have consequences for future generations? Is it acceptable to use genome editing beyond curing diseases, such as enhancing desirable traits, e.g. creating designer babies? These are issues that require careful consideration.
A Future of Hope and Responsibility
The potential of genome editing is awe inspiring. As the technology is refined and developed, it must be ensured its benefits are accessible to all and used ethically for improving humanity. The ability to rewrite our genetic code opens up many possibilities, but it challenges the implications of manipulating life itself.
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References
Thanks!
Thanks, Campbell for this very interesting article.
It certainly underscores the dramatic advances being made across a wide spectrum of medical diagnosis, treatment and care. And it seems this progress is happening at an accelerating pace, too. Almost every TV news bulletin carries the good news of yet another research breakthrough promising to further reduce the toll on our health.
Yet we easily forget that within living memory the general life expectancy was half what it is today when in most developed (and in many developing countries), the average person can expect to live for 70 to 75 years in reasonable shape. The credit for this goes to improved nutrition, better disease control and access to appropriate medical treatments and techniques, and improved care and diagnosis.
Even in my own lifetime I’ve seen remarkable progress. For example, I grew up in a world where tuberculosis was an ever-present threat (I lost an uncle from this awful disease) and one of my school classmates wore heavy leg braces as a legacy of polio in those days before the Salk vaccine.
We should be very grateful to be the lucky beneficiaries of the many
advances made possible by medical research
Tony
Thanks for your informative comments as usual.
Yes, within 10 years according to Dr David Sinclair of Harvard university (an Australian), we should be able not only to extend our life by several decades but actually reverse it down to our prime, say 21 years of age (not possible to go below). Imagine being physically younger than your kids and grandkids with a lifetime of knowledge (they would probably be a lot taller). It would be very embarrassing!.