Another distressing first in scientific research
NCER Update
by: Carol Szczepaniak
Date:5-12-21
Mammalian embryos have been grown outside of a womb. The implications are chilling.
For the first time in Developmental Biology, a mammalian (mouse) embryo has been observed as it developed through half of its gestation period (11 weeks) while outside a natural womb. Using an intricate artificial placenta that provided oxygen and controlled atmospheric pressure, researchers in Israel successfully documented the formation of germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm), …
May
New versions of “Pandora’s” Ethics box keep being opened
NCER Update
by: Carol Szczepaniak
Date:5-12-21
An international research team from China and the US has made history by successfully injecting human stem cells into macaque monkey embryos, and growing them in the lab for 20 days. This kind of creation is referred to as a chimera, named after a Greek mythological monster, because it is the blending of DNA from distinctly different species. The hypothetical goal is to gain understanding of and new …
May
In It’s First Tough Test, CRISPR Base Editing Slashes Cholesterol Levels in Monkeys
NCER Comments:
The vast majority of adults are taking a daily Statin to manage their “bad” LDL and Triglyceride Cholesterol count, and many experience muscle pain as well as other adverse side effects. Using CRISPR gene editing, two companies, Verve and Beam Therapeutics, are intensely working on an ethical solution to high cholesterol which causes cardiovascular disease. Read the following to see the results.
As seen in
JUNE 27, 2020
A …
Diabetes Reversed in Mice with Genetically Edited Stem Cells Derived from Patients
NCER Comments:
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) affects more than 100 million adults in the US; that’s just under 10% of the population. Diabetes is associated with a 2x increase of death due to cardiovascular disease; and on average, patients with diabetes lose 6 years of their lifespan compared to those who do not. Additionally, DM is the leading cause of kidney failure, retinopathy and neuropathic pain. Can CRISPR-cas 9 be utilized to ethically cure …
He Jiankui faces three years in prison for CRISPR babies
MIT Technology Review
The Chinese scientist and two associates were sentenced after a secret trial.
The Chinese scientist who created the world’s first gene-edited children has been sentenced to three years in prison by a Chinese court.
He Jiankui, a biophysicist trained at Rice University and Stanford, shocked the world last year with his claim to have created genetically modified humans, twins referred to as Lulu and Nana.
In
Principles of Biomedical Ethics: Marking Its Fortieth Anniversary
NCER Notes:
Forty years ago, Bioethics was born out of the collaboration between Beauchamp and Childress, two ethicists with very different moral approaches- one based on obligation and duty, the other on the goodness of outcomes. They were able to merge the best elements of prominent philosophical theories on morality to create a new approach called Principlism. This new approach was widely accepted in the medical community due to its ease of practical application in …
The newest gene editor radically improves on CRISPR
NCER Notes:
Research has shown that the CRISPR gene editing tool (which cuts out and replaces diseased DNA) holds great potential for healing disease, but currently poses a significant risk to humans due to frequent unintended mistakes, or “off-target” mutations in DNA. A solution is being pursued, but in the meantime, a new kind of gene editing, called “Prime Editing” has just been announced this week. Prime Editing uses much of CRISPR technology, but appears …