Translational medicine underwent massive advancements in recent years and inevitably human curiousness and research innovations led to an increasing amount of experiments regarding the human genome. DNA editing is considered to be the main focus for a vast number of companies, claiming that achieving the impossible will prove to be extremely beneficial. Others claim that altering human genes has several drawbacks, with the most striking
one
being the ethical code.
To begin
with,
gene
editing is probably the most promising therapeutic strategy for a number of diseases. It is widely known that many syndromes occur due to
gene
mutations.
One
example is DiGeorge syndrome, which happens because of a faulty chromosome and
as a result
children are born with hypocalcemia, thymus aplasia and cardiac abnormalities. If scientists discover a way to interfere with the genes in utero,
then
a genome test that would identify these mutations beforehand would lead to early treatment of the embryo and
therefore
the birth of a healthy infant.
Additionally
, illnesses that affect adults, namely Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, will be easily treated using
gene
-targeted therapies, that would transform the pathologic Philadelphia chromosome back to its normal form.
Consequently
, the mortality rates will drop drastically as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy will no longer be necessary, offering sick
people
the chance to live
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longer and healthier life.
The opponents of
gene
editing though, argue that it is not ethical to do so. The specific reason for their disagreement is the fact that
one
might use the aforementioned improvement in order to "create" a human being with their prefered characteristics. As research studies have proven,
gene
evolvement and mutations are to some degree vital for survival.
For instance
, humans thousands of years ago were much shorter and had more hair than nowadays. It is
also
predicted, that in a number of years,
people
will get shorter and toes might disappear since they will not be needed anymore. Contrary, it is possible that our species' eyes could grow and our skin will get darker because of global warming. If humans have the ability to create their children the way they want to, these changes will never occur and
consequently
, adaptability will diminish and
people
will not be able to survive under tougher circumstances.
All things considered,
gene
editing provides
people
with a lifetime's opportunity to create new treatments and give a future to
people
who would
otherwise
not have
one
.
Nevertheless
, it is undeniable that advancement of
this
magnitude will be handled incorrectly and can prove to be hazardous for humanity.