Germline Gene Engineering

Germline Gene Engineering

Introduction

I reviewed two articles written in opposition of DNA manipulation and alteration, known as germ-line gene therapy. The popular press article is titled "Our Biotech Bodies, Ourselves”, written by James Pethokoukis and published in U.S. News & World Report during May 2004. The peer review journal article on the same subject is titled “Engineering Germline Genes is Unnecessary and Unethical”. Ruth Hubbard and Elijah Wald authored this paper.

"Our Biotech Bodies, Ourselves”

In this paper, Pethokoukis asks whether the ability to take genetic drugs, alter our genes or inject oneself with stem cells in order to increase IQ, athleticism or longevity would make us less human. Would we become a world full of self-actualized superpeople, or would society be further divided into those devoid of essential human values such as compassion, and those not blessed with these enhancements.

Pethokoukis compares the ethics of this subject with the reality of how far this science is already advanced.

Ethical position

The President's Council on Bioethics 325-page report, "Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness," takes a decidedly dim view of the impact of such issues as radical life extension, mood and intelligence-enhancing drugs, and genetic therapies. The advisory panel expressed profound "disquiet" with a biotech-enabled, post-human future that "cheapens rather than enriches America's most cherished ideals."

The council considers potential side effects of human enhancements, for example. doubling the average human life span. Would we achieve a “stretched rubber band” version of longevity, in which our active, healthy years are extended, but so are the years of decline and decay. Long, productive years would bring joy to many but could also leave the individual unhinged from the natural life cycle.

The author also cites Gregory Stock, director of the University of California Program of Medicine, Technology and Society: “Our increasing ability to alter our biology and open up the processes of life is now fuelling a new cultural war.”

Governments are also taking an ethical position in regards to genetic engineering. For example, President Bush banned federal funding of embryonic stem-cell line research in 2001. A year later, the South Korean government raided BioFusion Tech after they announced plans for a woman to give birth to a clone. A minimum of 17 countries have banned germ-line modifications, preventing genetic alteration of reproductive cells which would be passed on to future generations.

Scientific position

Pethokoukis points to arguments that genetic transformation is already here, not simply a futuristic idea. He quotes Kass, of the President’s Council on Bioethics:

Some of these issues are already here. Choosing the sex of your children is here. The use of stimulants on children to improve performance is here. Steroid use is here. Drugs that affect mood and temperament are here. . . . There is something profound going on here that will affect our identities and the society we live in.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have boosted levels of a protein in mice that makes them more muscular throughout life. Southern Illinois University scientists extended one mouse's life span to nearly twice the normal length.

Stock, of UCLA says, " It's easy to argue the "con" position, about issues like the use of embryonic stem cells as long as the benefits are merely theoretical. Once those benefits become tangible, though, "the debate will be over."

The potential therapeutic value of stem-cell research has already prompted more than 200 House members and Nancy Reagan to urge Bush to alter his ban. A 2002 joint report by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce recommended a national research and development effort to enhance humanity and create a world where human brains communicate directly with machines, and scientists “control the genetics of humans” to make bodies” more durable, healthier and resistant to stress, biological threats and aging processes”.

Pethokoukis concludes that stem-cell and protein therapies have yet to spawn successful treatments for disease, or provide a catalyst for launching a new stage of human evolution. He questions what side-effects new therapies might bring and suggest it is not too early to fight this science.

“Engineering Germline Genes is Unnecessary and Unethical”

In this paper, the authors discuss the scientific impacts of altering the germ line through DNA manipulation in comparison to other types of gene manipulation. They argue that alteration of reproductive DNA cells does not only affect one individual, the change is passed down to future generations. .

What is Germ Line Gene Therapy?

Modification of the DNA sequence in a differentiated tissue, such as the liver or skin, affects only the person whose tissue is altered. However, modification of the DNA in an egg, sperm of embryo will be copied each time the cells divide and thus become embedded in the DNA of that future person and their own reproductive sperm or eggs; becoming a permanent part of the hereditary line.

The authors argue this sort of manipulation is not intended to treat the health problems of living people; rather it alters the genetic makeup of potential future human beings. For example, scientists could remove or correct genetic defects through manipulation and insert only “healthy” embryos into the womb, or even simply chose only embryos without a mutation in the first place.

Arguments against