Code Genetic Engineering Extension

Code: genetic engineering BBK Learning Target: ​I can make an argument for or against genetic engineering in helping or hurting the human race. Directions: ​Review the resources listed below to record information about each type of genetic engineering. In the “Description” section, describe the method of genetic engineering. In the “Make an Argument” section explain whether the method of genetic engineering helps or hurts the human race and why. Resources: ​You are welcome to research additional sources! (may need administration to allow access to some documents). **Students that already completed this assignment, or a part of this assignment if you did not attend fieldwork. Cloning

Chimeras

PNAS.org

NatGeo Chimeras

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis & Stem Cells

NYTimes Chimeras

Definition of PGD

NY Times Cloning articles Cloning science news for students

Three Parent Children Three Parent Children Nature.com

PGD Stem Cells Ted-Ed page Stem cells science news for students Designer babies Guardian Designer Babies

*Record notes from sources above here:

Gizmodo - 3 Parent Children NPR - 3 parent children

Crispr-Cas9 Science News Article on Crispr Cas9 Crispr Cas9​ Crispr Cas9 AAAS

Topic Name:

Description (what it is):

Make an argument​: Does this help or hurt the human race and why?

Cloning

● Clones- exact genetic copies of one another ● 11 kinds of animals have already been cloned including sheep, cows, pigs, mice, and horses ● Few cloning attempts are successful and even if a clone survives originally, it dies very young ● Cloning takes control of the reproductive process ● It takes out the randomness of reproduction ● Could be used to make more money and reduce diseases in animals ● There are no food safety issues with cloning

This hurts the human race because diversity in humanity comes from the randomness of reproduction, which is taken away through the process of cloning. While it could be used positively, there are far too many uses for cloning that would eliminate the genetic diversity we need as a species to survive. The benefits of cloning focus more on a financial benefit to farmers and competitive breeders, and not to eliminating rare diseases or improving the quality of life of genetically struggling individuals. If in the wrong hands, cloning could have devastating consequences.

Chimeras

● An organism that contains cells from two different species ● 2 ways to be created ○ Introduce the organs of one animal into another ○ Introducing one animal’s cells to the embryo of another and letting them grow together ● Could be used to treat diseases like diabetes ● CRISPR can be used to “delete” the genes that one organism needs to grow particular organs ● Then, they introduce stem cells of the other organism

This hurts the human race because it’s goal is to be used to manipulate different organisms and combine them together. There does not seem to be any benefit for this combined organism other than that it is intriguing. The preliminary trials that have occurred have discovered that sometimes the combinations of organisms do not work, as they are too biologically different in the development of their organs. On a basic level, this helps the human race because it is a way to study human embryo development and understand disease. The consequences of testing the limits of chimeras is

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis & Stem Cells

● Not every pair of organisms can be used together based on their evolutionary pasts ● Proper timing of cell age is essential ● Benefits-​ study human embryo development and understand disease

mutilating organisms. However, if chimeras were successful, they could aid in creating functioning human organs. I believe that the risk is possibly greater than the reward, so overall, chimeras will hurt the human race.

● Stem cells are needed to specialize tissues for different functions in the body ● Stem cell therapy could theoretically allow the body to heal itself ● One type of adult stem cell can be found in your bone marrow ● Specialized cells can be transformed into stem cells ○ This is done through inserting specific sets of genes into the cells ● Benefits- Allow scientists to make stem cells from people with rare genetic diseases ○ Diseased cells of these individuals could be exposed in small batches to test different medicines ○ Could even be used get rid of blindness ● Preimplantation genetic diagnosis ○ Procedure used to help identify genetic defects within embryos ○ Benefits couples at

This will help the human race because stem cells can be used in a variety of ways, from restoring eyesight to finding cures for devastating genetic diseases. It is harmless to the individual that the stem cells are taken from, and with further research and testing, could be even more helpful. It does not seem to be dangerous currently, as it cannot change arbitrary traits or characteristics, only life-threatening diseases. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis could hurt the human race as it is not always accurate and there are other more established methods, like prenatal testing. One disadvantage that is particularly negative is that genetic disorders or diseases can be identified that would not affect the current embryo until middle age or later, and could cause parents to end a pregnancy “unnecessarily”. It seems to have too many negatives to be used as a sole method of determining whether or not to end a pregnancy.

risk of genetic diseases or conditions ● Disadvantage- diseases that could be present in PGD may not become an issue until middle aged or later ○ Doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of genetic disorders Three Parent Children

● Blended DNA in a baby from three individuals ● The technique is called mitochondrial replacement therapy ● Can be used to prevent a child from having the genetic disorders of one of the “parents” ● Replaces the entire mitochondrial genome with a donor genome ● Baby will have the nuclear genes of the original mother and cytoplasm and mitochondria of the donor mother ● Could prevent a range of mitochondrial diseases ● However in some cases diseases have been caused because of the new mitochondrial DNA ● To transfer the mitochondria, the embryo is frozen and then heated before an electrical pulse is used to fuse the mother’s nucleus into the donor egg ● Some of the original mother’s mitochondrial DNA remained in varying percentages throughout the

This genetic engineering will harm the human race because there a greater number of risks currently with the procedure than benefits. To explain, a percentage of the original mother’s mitochondrial DNA remained, even though another mother’s mitochondrial DNA was inserted into the embryo. As a result of this, the diseased elements of the DNA could still impact the child and cause health concerns. Currently so little information is known about what the long term effects may be for a three parent child. While the process, when functioning at it’s best, could prevent a range of mitochondrial diseases, I believe more time is needed to develop and refine mitochondrial replacement therapy. Moreover, there are social concerns that are too hard to ignore with this issue in particular, as there is a chance that during this process one of the parents does not feel comfortable, the child is put at risk. In many senses this will be a good method to help

body Crispr-Cas9

● Uses a modified bacterial protein and RNA to bring it to a specific DNA sequence ● Makes it easier to create genetically modified plants and animals ● Focuses on gene editing ● Could potentially correct genetic disorders by targeting specific genes ● Stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats ● Site specific double strand break in the DNA ● Original function was to defend against invading viruses in the bacterial immune system ● First found in archaea ● Allows researchers to study a gene’s function ● Can undergo mutations at the blunt ends of both DNA strands when they are cut ● There are some ethical issues associated with CRISPR-Cas9 because it has almost limitless possibilities, which could be used positively or negatively, depending on who is using the process ● Some people believe that with CRISPR-Cas9, scientists are “playing God”, and manipulating what should be a natural process

would-be parents that want to conceive, just not at this stage. This helps the human race because it provides a method to cure a variety of genetic disorders which in some cases have been caused by one wrong letter in one’s genome. CRISPR-Cas9 is continuing to develop and become even more safe to use, and currently also helps scientists to understand specific genes with more detail. Not only can CRISPR-Cas9 be used for studying genes, it can also be used to more easily create genetically modified plants and animals. The main concern with CRISPR-Cas9 is that it could be used to modify the human genome in extreme ways. However, at its current level of complexity, more dangerous and ethically negative actions cannot occur. Moreover, international guidelines could be put into place to restrict the kind of genetic engineering that could occur. For scientists in general, CRISPR-Cas9 is an invaluable tool that can and will move the science we know and understand forward exponentially.

● Selective breeding- focusing on specific traits to manipulate to create new subspecies ○ Ex: Dog breeding ● DNA was discovered by Rosalind Franklin in the 40s ● Watson and Crick pull this information in the 50s to publish a book that becomes popular ● 1974-​ earliest genetically modified animals (mice) ● 1994-​ first food sold that was genetically modified (flavr savr tomato) ● Gene editing- CRISPR (​C​lustered ​R​egularly ​I​nterspaced ​S​hort ​P​alindromic ​R​epeats) ○ Cas9 is a particular protein ○ Became a concept in 2016 ● RNA that seeks out specific genes and codes for specific codes ● Cost of gene editing has dramatically decreased ● CRISPR system is programmable ○ Ability to edit live cells ○ Works for every type of cell ○ CRISPR could “defeat” HIV or cancer ● 3,000 genetic diseases can be caused by just one wrong letter in your DNA ● Designer Babies- gradual but irreversible changes to the human gene pool ● Engineered traits will be passed onto future generations Final Synthesis Essay: ​Is genetic engineering a benefit or harm to the human race? Use three pieces of evidence to support your claim, and highlight three specific methods of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a benefit to the human race, as it can change the lives of millions of individuals affected by genetic disorders through continued research and action. One such method of genetic engineering that has a multitude of benefits is CRISPR-Cas9. This process has allowed scientists to study specific genes of interest, and even possibly manipulate a plant or animal’s genome to cure a genetic disorder. CRISPR-Cas9 will have benefits that stretch beyond purely research as well, as plants and animals can be more easily genetically modified by using this method. As a result, animals and plants could be genetically manipulated to produce more oxygen or absorb more carbon dioxide to benefit our climate. As a human race, one of our biggest challenges globally is climate change, while on a personal scale, a detrimental challenge has been genetic disorders. Purely because an individual has an incorrect letter in the sequence of their genome, they can be subjected to a life of constant hospitalization, or not live long enough to have a life. Aside from CRISPR-Cas9, which could potentially treat existing genetic disorders, methods like Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis could give parents to opportunity to decide if they want to continue with a pregnancy where the child is at risk of genetic disorders. This

method, with support, could improve the lives of children potentially born with genetic disorders, and improve the care of children with these challenges. More specifically, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis could identify genetic defects in embryos and help couples with a risk of genetic disorders. In doing so, children who would have had little life to live will not be born, or will be born to parents that understand the risks and level of care needed to support their child. However, this method should not be used singularly to decide whether or not to continue with a pregnancy as it does not completely eliminate the risk of genetic disorders, and could identify a genetic disorder that could not take effect until middle-aged or later. While a major concern with this method is that potential children will be “killed” for no reason, this method, as a supportive tool along with other tests, would give more warning to parents with a risk of genetic disorders, or eliminate the possibility of a child being born that would have to be subjected to constant tests and hospitalization. These methods of genetic engineering would give options to families that previously would not be able to choose the kind of life they wanted for their child. Genetic engineering is often associated with odd science experiments and designer babies, but usually involves much more practical methods, like stem cells. Stem cells can be used for a variety of methods of genetic engineering, and also have many benefits. By using stem cells, scientists can test possible cures for genetic disorders without harming a patient. This method has fewer of the ethical concerns of other methods of genetic engineering, with the same benefits. Stem cells themselves can be specialized to help any body system that may be weakened or in need of support. These unique cells currently have a variety of uses to help the human race understand and heal itself, and in the future could be used for a myriad of other processes and methods to ensure that the human race is functioning at its best.