Human Embryo Genome Editing: An Interdisciplinary Approach

The prospects for the human embryos genome editing cause intense debates both in the scientific community and in general public. While the main attention of scientists is focused on the safety, effectiveness and clinical feasibility of the inherited genome editing, the public pays attention to the bioethical aspects of the issue - the prospects of a baby design, the development of new forms of social inequality and intervention in human evolution. The authors conducted an interdisciplinary analysis of medical genetics and bioethical issues of human embryo genome editing, revealed the possibilities and limitations of genome editing technology, and considered the specifics of ethical discussions. The conceptualization of the main approaches of natural and social sciences in a general theoretical framework made it possible not only to take into account the complex nature of the issues, but also to create the prerequisites for its further productive discussion.

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Prymat prawa nad etyką? Nowy etap włoskiego sporu o metodę in vitro

Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae ◽

10.21697/seb.2015.13.2.03 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 45-67

Author(s):

Andrzej Kobyliński

Keyword(s):

Human Embryo ◽

Human Embryos ◽

Constitutional Court ◽

Human Being ◽

Legal Regulations ◽

Human Beings ◽

Artificial Reproduction ◽

The Public ◽

The Law

In April 2014 The Constitutional Court in Italy was called to judge parts of the Law 40/2004 and canceled the prohibition of the methods of heterological artificial reproduction. !is decision opened a new stage of the public dispute about artificial reproduction that has been held in Italy for the last 20 years. The most significant principle of the legislation from the year 2004 was the recognition of the human embryo as a human being from the very moment of conception. The law in Italy forbade, among others, producing human embryos for scientific purposes, freezing and destroying human beings. The opponents of such legal regulations evoked the nationwide referendum in 2005 which did not manage to repeal the operative legislation. In 2015 the Italian Parliament will adopt a special law regulating the use of the methods of heterological artificial reproduction.

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Czy embrion jest osobą? Spór o sztuczne zapłodnienie we Włoszech

Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae ◽

10.21697/seb.2007.5.1.11 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 157-172

Author(s):

Andrzej Kobyliński

Keyword(s):

Human Embryo ◽

Human Embryos ◽

Human Being ◽

Legal Regulations ◽

Human Beings ◽

Artificial Reproduction ◽

The Public ◽

The Law

The public dispute about the methods of artificial reproduction has been led in Italy for many years, the most significant principle of the legislation from the year 2004 is the recognition of the human embryo as the human being from the very moment of the conception, the law in Italy forbids, among others, producing human embryos for scientific purposes, freezing and destroying human beings, using the methods of heterological artificial reproduction, the opponents of such legal regulations evoked the nationwide referendum in 2005 which - because of too poor turnout - did not manage to repeal the operative legislation.

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Availability of Judicial Protection in the Process of Editing the Human Genome

Lex Russica ◽

10.17803/1729-5920.2019.151.6.037-047 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 37-47

Author(s):

O. Yu. Fomina

Keyword(s):

Human Genome ◽

Genome Editing ◽

Human Embryo ◽

Human Life ◽

Legal Protection ◽

Legal Regulation ◽

Human Embryos ◽

The Future ◽

The Moment ◽

The Right

Genetic technologies are rapidly developing, which is not the case for the normative consolidation of scientific achievements and opportunities. The science aimed at improving the quality of life of people is already able to prevent many hereditary disorders by removing the «wrong» gene from the embryo DNA. Editing the human genome is not the future, but the present.It is assumed that legalization in the area of the human genome editing for preventive or therapeutic purposes is more than possible. The article analyzes the issues of the right to go to court on the ground of legal relations that arise when the human embryo genome is edited during the procedure of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and subsequently a «genetically modified» child is born.Due to the lack of detailed legal regulation of the IVF procedure, scientific research on human embryos and genome editing technology, the author does not exclude situations when successful research can be carried out as well as errors can be committed. In the latter case, it is possible to work upon «healthy» DNA elements instead of or together with «sick» elements, which endangers the life and health of not only the potential person, but also his discendants.Given that the current legislation does not determine the status of a human embryo and establishes the moment of birth as the moment of capacity, while the civil procedural capacity (that is one of the prerequisites for the right to go to a court) of an individual coincides with civil legal capacity, the future human life is deprived of any legal protection. For the same reason, other persons may not go to court in the interests of the unborn child. The article attempts to find a way out of this situation by analyzing Russian and international legislation, as well as the ECHR case law.

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CRISPR Gene Editing on Human Embryos

World Journal of Peri & Neonatology ◽

10.18502/wjpn.v1i1.2785 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fatemeh Sefid ◽

Saedeh Khadempar ◽

Roshanak Shamriz ◽

Nooshin Amjadi

Keyword(s):

Genome Editing ◽

Human Embryo ◽

Genome Engineering ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

Human Embryos ◽

Gene Therapies ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Technical Possibility ◽

Early Human

Background: With the recent development of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, the possibility to genetically influence the human germline (gametes and embryos) has become a separate technical possibility. As a powerful skill for genome engineering, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been effectively applied to adjust the genomes of several species. The purpose of this review was to appraise the technology and build concepts for the launch of precise hereditary modifications in early human embryos. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the related literatures searched from PubMed, Google scholar, Web of Science up to June 30, 2017 and then we extracted the essential data. In this review, we present the brief history and basic mechanisms of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and significant challenges and advances in the field as a comprehensive practical guide to absorbed users of genome editing technologies. We introduce factors that influence CRISPR/Cas9 efficacy which must be addressed before effective in vivo human embryo therapy can be realized .in this review, we highlight the advancements that have been made using CRISPR/Cas9 in relation to Human Embryo. Results and Conclusion: The possibility of CRISPR/Cas9 use in the context of human reproduction, to change embryos, germline cells, and pluripotent stem cells are studied created on the writers' expert belief. We discuss recent developments leading to the operation of Human Embryonic gene therapies in clinical trials and consider the predictions for future advances in this rapidly developing field.

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Citizen views on genome editing: effects of species and purpose

Agriculture and Human Values ◽

10.1007/s10460-021-10235-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gesa Busch ◽

Erin Ryan ◽

Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk ◽

Daniel M. Weary

Keyword(s):

Disease Resistance ◽

Product Quality ◽

Genome Editing ◽

Total Sample ◽

Moral Foundations ◽

Perceived Risks ◽

Public Response ◽

The Public ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Us

AbstractPublic opinion can affect the adoption of genome editing technologies. In food production, genome editing can be applied to a wide range of applications, in different species and with different purposes. This study analyzed how the public responds to five different applications of genome editing, varying the species involved and the proposed purpose of the modification. Three of the applications described the introduction of disease resistance within different species (human, plant, animal), and two targeted product quality and quantity in cattle. Online surveys in Canada, the US, Austria, Germany and Italy were carried out with a total sample size of 3698 participants. Using a between-subject design, participants were confronted with one of the five applications and asked to decide whether they considered it right or wrong. Perceived risks, benefits, and the perception of the technology as tampering with nature were surveyed and were complemented with socio-demographics and a measure of the participants’ moral foundations. In all countries, participants evaluated the application of disease resistance in humans as most right to do, followed by disease resistance in plants, and then in animals, and considered changes in product quality and quantity in cattle as least right to do. However, US and Italian participants were generally more positive toward all scenarios, and German and Austrian participants more negative. Cluster analyses identified four groups of participants: ‘strong supporters’ who saw only benefits and little risks, ‘slight supporters’ who perceived risks and valued benefits, ‘neutrals’ who showed no pronounced opinion, and ‘opponents’ who perceived higher risks and lower benefits. This research contributes to understanding public response to applications of genome editing, revealing differences that can help guide decisions related to adoption of these technologies.

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Increasing physical activity in people with COPD

Practice Nursing ◽

10.12968/pnur.2020.31.11.461 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (11) ◽

pp. 461-466

Author(s):

Matthew Armstrong

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pulmonary Rehabilitation ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Behavioural Interventions ◽

Extra Pulmonary

Levels of physical activity tend to be reduced in people with COPD. Matthew Armstrong discusses the benefits of improving activity levels in this group of patients It is well acknowledged that levels of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considerably lower than healthy-age matched individuals, with physical inactivity recognised as a key predictor of hospitalisation and mortality. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has become a major tool for managing symptoms of COPD and the associated extra-pulmonary effects. However, inconsistencies surrounding its effectiveness in terms of improving physical activity remain due to the complex nature of physical activity. To overcome these inconsistencies, both pharmacological and behavioural interventions have been documented to aid improvements in physical activity, with behavioural interventions alongside PR found to be the most effective tool to promote levels of physical activity. Health professionals must therefore look to incorporate an interdisciplinary approach in order to best achieve improvements in physical activity levels in patients with COPD.

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Programming Native CRISPR Arrays for the Generation of Targeted Immunity

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00202-16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Alexander P. Hynes ◽

Simon J. Labrie ◽

Sylvain Moineau

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Nucleic Acid ◽

Genome Editing ◽

Dna Sequence ◽

Adaptive Immune System ◽

Natural Process ◽

The Public ◽

Adaptive Immune ◽

Public Consciousness ◽

Industrial Settings

ABSTRACT The adaptive immune system of prokaryotes, called CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated genes), results in specific cleavage of invading nucleic acid sequences recognized by the cell’s “memory” of past encounters. Here, we exploited the properties of native CRISPR-Cas systems to program the natural “memorization” process, efficiently generating immunity not only to a bacteriophage or plasmid but to any specifically chosen DNA sequence. IMPORTANCE CRISPR-Cas systems have entered the public consciousness as genome editing tools due to their readily programmable nature. In industrial settings, natural CRISPR-Cas immunity is already exploited to generate strains resistant to potentially disruptive viruses. However, the natural process by which bacteria acquire new target specificities (adaptation) is difficult to study and manipulate. The target against which immunity is conferred is selected stochastically. By biasing the immunization process, we offer a means to generate customized immunity, as well as provide a new tool to study adaptation.

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Scientists: Engage the Public!

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01989-15 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Erika C. Shugart ◽

Vincent R. Racaniello

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Science Communication ◽

Social Stigma ◽

Public Communication ◽

The Public ◽

Advanced Society ◽

The Social

ABSTRACT Scientists must communicate about science with public audiences to promote an understanding of complex issues that we face in our technologically advanced society. Some scientists may be concerned about a social stigma or “Sagan effect” associated with participating in public communication. Recent research in the social sciences indicates that public communication by scientists is not a niche activity but is widely done and can be beneficial to a scientist's career. There are a variety of approaches that scientists can take to become active in science communication.

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