This article talked about the use of a new gene altering method, known as Crispr to alter genes more effectively. It is projected to be so revolutionary that researchers are calling for limits on its use, so that it is not used to alter human DNA and create so called “designer babies”. George Church of Harvard Medical School was a pioneer of the Crispr technique. In his experiments, him and his colleagues were able to alter 62 genes at once, an amount previously unheard of. Through this, they hope to make it possible to transplant pig organs into human. The major hurdle in the process of transplanting pig organs into humans were viral genes. These genes, known as endogenous retroviruses, are known in pigs as Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Versions, or PERVs for short. These viruses have been found to not only attack pig cells, but also human cells. All attempts to destroy these PERVs has resulted in completely mangling the DNA, making it useless. However, Church and his team identified 62 key genes that were the cause of all PERVs, as all PERVs link to a common ancestor. Using Crispr, the 62 genes were altered and there were no signs of PERVs, and the cells grew normally- they were not cancerous or unable to reproduce. This was done using a single molecule via Crispr, and this opens the door not only into an essentially infinite source of organs from pigs, but to all sorts of genetic modification. Church and his team are now looking to reduce the rejection rate of pig organs by altering the genes that code for the surface of the cell and alert the immune system that there is something foreign. Ron Weiss, a synthetic biologist at MIT, summed it up nicely:
Will we be able to change 12 genes in 12 seconds? That’s not going to happen.”
“But if you say 12 days, that’s pretty likely.”
This article has great importance not only to us as Americans, but to people all over the world. The ability to obtain organs for transplant without having someone die young in an unprecedented medical miracle. This will greatly reduce the number of people on organ recipient lists and save many lives. It will also create a new organ farming industry that will undoubtedly employ thousands of American workers. Some greater, more controversial effects of these procedures include the creation of “designer babies”. Through gene altering, parents may be able to hand design their child to suit their desires. This is thought of by many, myself included, as an extremely creepy and weird thing that should be banned immediately should we ever gain the capacity for it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. One this that I thought was excellent was that it had many quotes from experts. Another thing was that it went into depth on all of the possibilities that these technologies have in the future. One thing that I would’ve liked to know was what exactly the Crispr process is, and how it is different from previous processes. If that information was added, possibly where it mentions that Crispr uses only one molecule, I would not have any further complaints.
Citation:
Zimmer, Carl. "Editing of Pig DNA May Lead to More Organs for People." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
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Citation:
ReplyDeleteZimmer, Carl. "Editing of Pig DNA May Lead to More Organs for People." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. .
Sean, this was a great choice for an article! I think you did an amazing job explaining how this discovery could impact our world and help so many people. The idea that there could be no more donor waiting lists soon is extremely hard to believe. I think your summary was very well written and explained the PERVs very well. Finally, you also critiqued the article very well, because in your summary I was also confused on exactly the Crispr process was, so I think that is definitely a key detail the author left out.
I was still a little confused why it is important to be able to alter the genes all at once, so I wish you could have explained that because I really don’t have a deep basis in genetics. I also think that you could have integrated your quote a little better, then again this isn’t English class.
This article is definitely extremely important because this discovery could be revolutionary to medicine and save so many lives. I really did not know this research was happening, but I can’t wait to see where it goes, so thank you for bringing it to light!
Sean’s review on the article, “Editing of Pig DNA May Lead to More Organs for People,” was very informative since it explained this new gene altering method. The review was clearly and concisely written, with good evidence and analysis throughout. He did a great job of summarizing the article; his description of the importance of PERVs was especially exceptional. Also, Sean did an amazing job of discussing how this discovery impacts the entire world, and not only how it will medically assist people in need of organs, but also how the rise of the organ farming industry will create more jobs for Americans. These were clever connections between society and this scientific discovery.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this review was well written, there are a few improvements to be made. I think it would be beneficial to go into greater depth on the explanation of how the scientists were able to find 62 genes and how this number specifically compared to previous findings. I also believe that a better quote could have been used from the article that expresses the importance of the experiment’s findings to the organ transplant process.
This article and review revealed an entirely new realm of scientific reports involving the connection between human and animal’s organs. I had no idea that pig organs were being studied as possible organs to be used in humans, and that there is also some controversy among this idea of using the Crispr method to alter genes to create designer babies. I hope to hear advancements on this study in the future.
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this review. Many things were done very well in this review, one of them being how well organized it was, how you generally explained the crispr technique, then went into greater detail in explaining who is studying it and the process that they are going through specifically. Another thing I really enjoyed about this review was how you included the obstacles that the people studying this went through in their experiments. One final thing I liked about this article was how you went into such depth describing the PERVs, where they are from, and how they were worked around in the experiments conducted.
Although I think you did many things very well in this review, I feel that a couple of things can be improved upon. I would have liked to have read more about the importance of the scientists’ results from this experiment compared to those of other experiments, and why exactly they are different. Another thing I would have liked is if maybe you organized your quotes a little better, or even chose some more informational quotes for the review.
Ultimately, I found this review very informational and intriguing. One specific thing that really intrigued me was the whole general concept of “designer babies,” and also that the pig organs could potentially be used for humans one day, which seems pretty crazy.