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For the first time in history, scientists have successfully repaired a piece of faulty embryo that causes deadly heart diseases to run in families, according to a report by BBC
This could help in preventing thousands of disorders passed down through generations.
The US and South Korean team allowed the embryos to develop for five days before stopping the experiment.
The study hints at the future of medicine, but also provokes deep questions about what is morally right.
DNA editing is gradually experiencing success due to a new technology called Crispr, named breakthrough of the year in 2015. It can be used to wipe out genetic faults that cause diseases ranging from cystic fibrosis to breast cancer.
US teams at Oregon Health and Science University and the Salk Institute along with the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The disorder is common, affecting one in every 500 people, and can lead to the heart suddenly stopping beating.
It is caused by an error in a single gene (an instruction in the DNA), and anyone carrying it has a 50-50 chance of passing it on to their children.
In the study, described in the journal Nature, the genetic repair happened during conception.
Sperm from a man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was injected into healthy donated eggs alongside Crispr technology to correct the defect.
Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a key figure in the research team, said: “Every generation on would carry this repair because we’ve removed the disease-causing gene variant from that family’s lineage.
“By using this technique, it’s possible to reduce the burden of this heritable disease on the family and eventually the human population.”
In 2015, a team from China tried using Crispr to correct defects that lead to blood cancers. It was partially successful, not all the faulty cells were repaired. Other parts of the genetic code where mutated. Those technical obstacles have been overcome in the latest research.
However, there is no smooth sailing for this achievement yet. Concerns about safety have risen. Also, there are questions about when it would be worth doing - embryos can already be screened for disease through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
This could help in preventing thousands of disorders passed down through generations.
The US and South Korean team allowed the embryos to develop for five days before stopping the experiment.
The study hints at the future of medicine, but also provokes deep questions about what is morally right.
DNA editing is gradually experiencing success due to a new technology called Crispr, named breakthrough of the year in 2015. It can be used to wipe out genetic faults that cause diseases ranging from cystic fibrosis to breast cancer.
US teams at Oregon Health and Science University and the Salk Institute along with the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The disorder is common, affecting one in every 500 people, and can lead to the heart suddenly stopping beating.
It is caused by an error in a single gene (an instruction in the DNA), and anyone carrying it has a 50-50 chance of passing it on to their children.
In the study, described in the journal Nature, the genetic repair happened during conception.
Sperm from a man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was injected into healthy donated eggs alongside Crispr technology to correct the defect.
Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a key figure in the research team, said: “Every generation on would carry this repair because we’ve removed the disease-causing gene variant from that family’s lineage.
“By using this technique, it’s possible to reduce the burden of this heritable disease on the family and eventually the human population.”
In 2015, a team from China tried using Crispr to correct defects that lead to blood cancers. It was partially successful, not all the faulty cells were repaired. Other parts of the genetic code where mutated. Those technical obstacles have been overcome in the latest research.
However, there is no smooth sailing for this achievement yet. Concerns about safety have risen. Also, there are questions about when it would be worth doing - embryos can already be screened for disease through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
