OSHU
The first known attempt at creating genetically modified human embryos in the United States has been carried out by a team of researchers in Portland, Oregon, MIT Technology Review has learned.
The effort,
‘Chemical surgery’ Used to Mend Harmful Mutations in Human Embryos
The Guardian Ian Sample Science Editor 9-28-17
Scientists have used the technique, also known as ‘base editing’, for the first time in human embryos to change a single letter in a faulty gene.
Researchers in China have used a procedure described as “chemical surgery” to mend harmful mutations in human embryos for the first time.
The scientists found that it was possible to repair a faulty gene that gives rise to a serious blood disorder …
The CRISPR revolution: Getting ahead of the ethical curve
CWR Sister Renee Mirkes 9-25-17
If you’ve been following science headlines, you know that the CRISPR revolution is a real speedboat, clipping along at a breakneck pace. The aim of this essay is to equip this CRISPR ship with moral ballast before it runs afoul of ethical hazards (Part Two). To do that, we have to first school ourselves in facts and concepts about genetic engineering in general and CRISPR-Cas9 in particular (Part One).
Part …
Ectogenesis: The End of the Abortion Debate?
BioEdge.org by Xavier Symons | 28 Oct 2017
Ectogenesis, or the gestation of fetus in an environment ex utero, was once an idea confined to the realm of science fiction. But research involving the incubation of premature lambs in artificial gestation bags has made pundits think that fetal development ex utero may soon be possible.
The possibility of ectogenesis raises significant ethical questions, such as this: “will ecogenesis allow us to reconcile pro-choice and pro-life …
The Ethical Issues of CRISPR/Cas9 Technology:Aspiring Towards Perfection or Annihilation?
NCER President Carol Szczepaniak, recently had the opportunity to present at the 4th Annual Biopharmaceutical Research & Development Symposium at the University Nebraska Medical Center for the Department of Pharmceutical Sciences: College of Pharmacy.
Following is the abstract for her presentation on this widely debated topic making news across the world. If you would like to learn more about this or any other topic that NCER reports please contact us to speak for your group.…
CRISPR Gene Editing Can Cause Hundreds of Unintended Mutations
Science Daily May 29, 2017 Columbia University Medical Center
As CRISPR-Cas9 starts to move into clinical trials, a new study published in Nature Methods has found that the gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome.
“We feel it’s critical that the scientific community consider the potential hazards of all off-target mutations caused by CRISPR, including single nucleotide mutations and mutations in non-coding regions of the genome,” says co-author Stephen Tsang, MD,
The Fertility Doctor Trying to Commercialize Three-Parent Babies
Bioethics.com June 26,2017 MIT Technology Review
A U.S. fertility doctor has started a company with a provocative vision for older women: become pregnant by having their DNA shifted into a young woman’s egg. The company, Darwin Life, was quietly established last year by John Zhang, also founder of a New York City clinic called New Hope Fertility Center, to deploy a cutting-edge fertility technology called “spindle nuclear transfer.” Originally developed as a way to prevent …
Restoring Sight: CRISPR Could Reprogram Cells to Treat Retinitis pigmentosa
Genetic Literacy Project 4/28/17 University of California San Diego
Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual function in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited vision disorders caused by numerous mutations in more than 60 …
China Unveils Gene Technology to Create Superhumans with Hyper-Muscular Test-tube Dogs
Express.co.uk by Rebecca Flood July 18, 2017
Armies of super-soldiers were a step closer to reality today after China announced it was genetically engineering hyper-muscular super-dogs.
The canine genome has been especially difficult to engineer and replicate – but its close similarity to the human genome means it has long
…First Human Embryos Edited in the U.S.
Rewriting Life by Steve Connor July 26, 2017
Turning Skin Cells into Blood Vessel Cells While Keeping Them Young
Science Daily April 6, 2017
This is a mouse heart section showing human progenitor cells that formed functional human blood vessels. Purple color signifies human blood vessels, red staining signifies the blood vessels of the mouse that received the human cell implants. Credit: Jalees Rehman
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a molecular switch that converts skin cells into cells that make up blood vessels, which could ultimately be used to