CRISPR Babies in China: Across the Rubicon

[Jovialis]

Just listening to the episode now, certainly interesting:

https://insitome.libsyn.com/crispr-babies-in-china-across-the-rubicon

Here's the news article by Antonio Regalado:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612458/exclusive-chinese-scientists-are-creating-crispr-babies/

 

[Angela]

Just listening to the episode now, certainly interesting:

https://insitome.libsyn.com/crispr-babies-in-china-across-the-rubicon

Here's the news article by Antonio Regalado:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612458/exclusive-chinese-scientists-are-creating-crispr-babies/

They may not be calling it that, but they're in effect doing human experimentation, and human experimentation where the subject isn't even capable of consent. It's the parents consenting, and in an authoritarian system who knows what pressures were brought to bear.

We know the interconnectedness of our genome. We don't know all the details of how that operates. Who knows what the effect would be of inserting dna?

It's one thing to excise a mutation which causes a deadly disease like hemophilia, or to choose embryos with certain characteristics, although the latter makes me queasy. It's another to willy-nilly go about inserting dna into a helpless child.

It's a morally bankrupt procedure in a morally bankrupt country. I guess we shouldn't be surprised in a country which practised until very recently, and probably still practices, female infanticide. Noteworthy they did it to two girls, not precious boys.

 

[Jovialis]

They may not be calling it that, but they're in effect doing human experimentation, and human experimentation where the subject isn't even capable of consent. It's the parents consenting, and in an authoritarian system who knows what pressures were brought to bear.

We know the interconnectedness of our genome. We don't know all the details of how that operates. Who knows what the effect would be of inserting dna?

It's one thing to excise a mutation which causes a deadly disease like hemophilia, or to choose embryos with certain characteristics, although the latter makes me queasy. It's another to willy-nilly go about inserting dna into a helpless child.

It's a morally bankrupt procedure in a morally bankrupt country. I guess we shouldn't be surprised in a country which practised until very recently, and probably still practices, female infanticide. Noteworthy they did it to two girls, not precious boys.

I absolutely agree.

 

[Jovialis]

The scientist responsible for the gene-edited embryos has gone missing.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/othe...dited-two-embryos-has-gone-missing/vi-BBQrk3E

 

[Ailchu]

well i understand that it might be a bit too early for this and that there needs to be more testing. maybe they already made enough tests with other animals in other studies? but anyway i don't understand how scientists and the public condemn using crispr on human embryos per se. i mean all the people including the first scientist who invented this procedure and all the people who made research with it already knew it. because it was clear from the beginning that it was just a question of time until it was used on healthy humans. that it could be used on embryos with an "unhealthy" mutation is one of the reason why this research exists. now define "unhealthy". scientists who made this research were either extremely naive or they were simply ok with this future. and i think its a step in the right direction.