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Germline Genetic Engineering: Scientists Head Towards Creating Human Baby With Three Parents, 3/09 |
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Scientists Head Towards Creating Human Baby With Three Parents to Eliminate Disease: Germline Genetic Engineering, 8/09
The latest news from the world of genetic manipulation comes from scientists who are conducting research on monkeys that they say could lead to the birth of a human being with three parents in order to eliminate the possibility of inheriting genes that could cause certain diseases or conditions.
Genetic engineering has long caused problems for pro-life advocates and bioethicists because of the manipulation involved and research that destroys human life in order to create a so-called perfect human race.
It also leads, they say, to a society which devalues the disabled and the physically and mentally disabled.
Despite the concerns, Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of the Oregon National Primate Research Centre, has moved forward with experiments in monkeys. His team created a technique that led to the birth of four healthy macaque monkeys.
The research involved the transplantation of genetic material in the DNA of one monkey into the egg of another to correct genetic defects that damage health.
The success of the technique, germline genetic engineering, could mean that it could be used in women in a matter of years to allow them to avoid passing along so-called harmful genes to their unborn children.
However, the technique makes it so the children it creates would inherit genetic material from three parents.
The unborn baby's mother and
father would contribute most of their child’s DNA but a small amount
would come from a second woman donating healthy mitochondria, where
defects can cause issues for one out of ever 6,500 people.
“The only way to treat these defects is to replace the genes,” Mitalipov told the London Daily mail newspaper.
“This is gene transfer involving the germline, which is a concern, but
we are pursuing it not for general use but for patients with mutations
they will pass to the next generation. We believe this technology will
prevent that," he said.
His team published their findings in the journal Nature, where they
modified eggs containing chromosomes from one female monkey and
mitochondria from another and fertilized them using sperm. The
resulting embryos were transferred to the wombs of surrogate mothers.
The first monkeys to be born were twins called Mito and Tracker, after
a dye called MitoTracker used in the experiments. Two more monkeys were
born after later experiments.
Tests showed that none of the monkeys had any trace of mitochondrial
DNA from the mother that provided their nuclear DNA, suggesting that
the process was successful.
“We consider it a big achievement,” Dr Mitalipov said. “Anything we
study and achieve in non-human primates can be translated much more
easily to humans.”
He told the Daily Mail that his would apply to the FDA for permission
to try the technique with human eggs. Such research would have to wait
for a few years for the longer-term results of the study involving the
monkeys to produce enough data about their health.
[27Aug09, Ertelt, www.LifeNews.com, Washington, DC, -http://www.lifenews.com/bio2939.html ]
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