Elimination of Genes Causing a Deadly Hereditary Disease

Scientists have successfully manipulated and eliminated genes responsible for a deadly hereditary heart disease within a fetus for the first time. The success of this experiment could mean finding a way to prevent over ten thousand known diseases that are passed down through genes. According to National Public Radio, a team of scientists from South Korea and the United States used CRISPR technology to successfully isolate parts of the DNA composition that causes a common disease in heart muscles, which may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. CRISPR, which won the title of 'Breakthrough of the Year' in 2015, marks the beginning of a new revolution in the prevention of hereditary diseases. This heart disease, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arises from a mistake in the DNA gene composition, with a fifty percent chance of being passed on to the offspring of the affected individual. According to the scientific journal Nature, where the results of this experiment were published, genetic modification was performed at the time of fertilization. Sperm containing the genes for this disease was injected into healthy eggs along with CRISPR technology. Seventy-two percent of the resulting embryos were completely healthy. The scientists allowed these embryos to survive for five days before stopping the experiment. The New York Times reported that the results of this experiment were announced just a few months after the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. issued a new guideline requesting the scientific and technological community to use genetic manipulation of embryos only for very serious medical issues. Scientists have long feared the widespread use of this technology without considering the ethical issues surrounding it. The cultural implications of using such technologies are also a cause for concern. Some experts have warned that uncontrolled genetic engineering could lead to a new form of eugenics, where the wealthy can not only modify their children's genes but also add new abilities to them.