Topic Of The Day:-“ Reckless Experiment: On Gene-Edited Babies”
Editing The ‘Human Germline’ Is An Exercise Fraught With Unknown Risks
The saga of the Chinese scientist who created the world’s first gene-edited babies last November has forced researchers everywhere to take a hard look at the ethics of gene-editing. Chinese authorities have since condemned the researcher, He Jiankui, with a government report this week saying he violated both ethics and laws. But though Mr. He’s actions drew internationaloutrage, they weren’t revolutionary in technological terms. Editing DNA to correct diseasemutations has been possible for a while now, which means others can also do what Mr. He did. The promises of such gene-editing are boundless; over a dozen clinical trials are currently on to treat diseases like HIV, multiple myeloma and other forms of cancer, using the Crispr-Cas9 editing system. But none of them involve editing the so-called human germ-line; instead, they have restricted themselves to fixing genetic flaws in sick adults. In contrast, Mr. He deactivated a gene in two human embryos, which means that the changes he made could be inherited by the next generation. In doing so, he violated the widely held ethical consensus that it is too early for germline editing, for we simply don’t know enough yet about the risks of such fiddling.One pitfall of embryo gene-editing is that it is not as precise as we need it to be today. Studies have shown that the technology can result in unintended mutations, which in turn can cause cancers. Then there is the danger of mosaicism, in which some cells inherit the target mutation, while others don’t. To be sure, the error-rates of Crispr are falling with each passing year. But we aren’t in the clear yet. What is more, even when gene-editing becomes fool-proof, the decision to edit embryos will still be a weighty one. This is because, today, scientists are far from understanding how exactly individual genes influence phenotypes, or the visible traits of people. Every gene likely influences multiple traits, depending on the environment it interacts with. This makes it hard to predict the ultimate outcome of an embryo-editing exercise without decades of follow-up. This uncertainty became evident in Mr. He’s experiment, in which he sought to immunise a pair of twins from HIV by tinkering with a gene called CCR5. The problem is that while protecting against HIV, a deactivated CCR5 gene can also make people more susceptible to West-Nile Fever. Every gene influences such trade-offs, which scientists barely understand today. This is why several scientific societies have advised abundant caution while fiddling with the human germline. In a 2017 report, the U.S.’s National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said such an intervention would be defensible only in very rare situations, where no alternative exists. The He Jiankui incident shows it is time to translate these advisories into regulations. Unless this happens, the Crispr revolution could well go awry.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) condemned
Meaning : sentenced to a particular punishment, especially death.
Synonyms : convicted
Antonyms : morals
Example : “condemned prisoners awaiting execution”
2) outrage
Meaning : an extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation.
Synonyms : shock
Antonyms : benefit
Example : “her voice trembled with outrage”
3) mutations
Meaning : the action or process of mutating.
Synonyms : alteration
Antonyms : stagnation
Example : “the mutation of punk’s angry energy into something more thuggish and mindless”
4) instead
Meaning : as an alternative or substitute.
Synonyms : rather
Example : “do not use lotions, but put on a clean dressing instead”
5) contrast
Meaning : the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.
Synonyms : comparison
Antonyms : agreement
Example : “the day began cold and blustery, in contrast to almost two weeks of uninterrupted sunshine”
6) fiddling
Meaning : annoyingly trivial or petty.
Synonyms : interfere
Antonyms : work
Example : “fiddling little details”
7) unintended
Meaning : not planned or meant.
Synonyms : unplanned
Antonyms : expected
Example : “the unintended consequences of people’s actions”
8) traits
Meaning : a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person.
Synonyms : attribute
Antonyms : normality
Example : “the traditionally British trait of self-denigration”
9) predict
Meaning : say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something.
Synonyms : envision
Antonyms : ignore
Example : “it is too early to predict a result”
10) uncertainty
Meaning : the state of being uncertain.
Synonyms : concern
Antonyms : assurance
Example : “times of uncertainty and danger”
11) evident
Meaning : clearly seen or understood; obvious.
Synonyms : obvious
Antonyms : dubious
Example : “she ate the biscuits with evident enjoyment”
12) tinkering
Meaning : attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way.
Synonyms : mess
Antonyms : break
Example : “he spent hours tinkering with the car”
13) sought
Meaning : attempt to find (something).
Synonyms : desired
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
14) susceptible
Meaning : likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Synonyms : affected
Antonyms : unlikely
Example : “patients with liver disease may be susceptible to infection”
15) barely
Meaning : only just; almost not.
Synonyms : hardly
Example : “she nodded, barely able to speak”
16) abundant
Meaning : existing or available in large quantities; plentiful.
Synonyms : generous
Antonyms : meager
Example : “there was abundant evidence to support the theory”
17) intervention
Meaning : the action or process of intervening.
Synonyms : arbitration
Example : “a high degree of state intervention in the economy”
18) defensible
Meaning : justifiable by argument.
Synonyms : permissible
Antonyms : irrational
Example : “a morally defensible penal system”
19) translate
Meaning : express the sense of (words or text) in another language.
Synonyms : convert
Antonyms : remove
Example : “several of his books were translated into English”
20) influences
Meaning : the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Synonyms : force
Antonyms : beginning
Example : “the influence of television violence”
21) precise
Meaning : marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail.
Synonyms : correct
Antonyms : flexible
Example : “precise directions”
22) violated
Meaning : break or fail to comply with (a rule or formal agreement).
Synonyms : disobey
Antonyms : assist
Example : “they violated the terms of a ceasefire”
23) flaws
Meaning : a mark, blemish, or other imperfection which mars a substance or object.
Synonyms : blemish
Antonyms : perfection
Example : “a flaw in the glass”
