For several decades, there has been ongoing research and development in the field of gene splicing, sometimes also referred to as gene therapy. This process is a method where faulty genes that would result in hereditary diseases are replaced with healthy sequences of DNA. While the future of this method of disease prevention looks promising, there are many ethical concerns that have arisen around this topic as well.

Before diving into the concerns surrounding the topic, it is important to understand how gene splicing and gene therapy work. All methods of gene splicing serve to alter the genetic code in order to recover the functions of proteins.This can be accomplished in a few different ways, either new genes can be transferred into the cells in a process called gene transfer therapy, or through a process called genome editing. Certain tools are inserted into the DNA that can alter, add, or remove specific genes that would program for diseases. Oftentimes, viruses are utilized for this purpose. Since they carry their own genetic material, they make great vectors for inserting specialized DNA. Inactive forms of the virus are used and inserted with DNA that will insert it into the cells and replace the affected gene (National Library of Medicine, 2022). These methods of gene therapy open a world of possibilities for limiting hereditary diseases is a significant advancement for humanity; however these practices have also opened doors to very unethical possibilities.

After He Jianku, a Chinese CRISPR scientist, created babies by editing genomes in embryos, he was condemned for unethical practices and arrested for three years. He was punished for this study due to not acquiring consent prior to his experiments. (Miyako Rogers, 2023). This opened a world of possibilities that could be achieved from editing genomes of gametes before fertilization. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, there are concerns that practices such as these could result in “enhancements” of offspring. There are current predictions that in the next 40-50 years, gene editing could be used to “design” babies. Their hair color, eye color, facial features, etc. could all be edited to allow people to create their “designer baby” (Philip Ball, 2017).

However, there is promise that this may just be speculation. In terms of determining features as well as intelligence levels and personality traits, very little is known about what genes would change this and, consequently, how to go about replacing these genes. Fortunately, there seems to be little demand for embryonic selection and several doubt that there will actually be a demand for this in the future (Philip Ball, 2017).

While the future of gene splicing in disease prevention seems to be promising in preventing a multitude of diseases such as diabetes, sickle-cell diseases, Thalassemia, Hepatitis B, and many other diseases, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before this can be fully implemented. As of right now, many believe that this will be a very costly procedure that will only be open to the upper class; however with more research and streamlining methods of gene therapy, this could be a problem of the past. It is encouraged that anyone potentially interested in this do more research on their own because, according to Philip Ball, “If informed people do not participate in making those choices, the ignorant people will make them.”

References

Ball, P. (2017, January 8). Designer babies: an Ethical Horror Waiting to happen? The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/08/designer-babies-ethical-horror-waiting-to-happen

Front Line Genomics, & Rogers, M. (2023, March 28). Gene-editing: A Controversial Legacy - Front Line Genomics. Front Line Genomics. https://frontlinegenomics.com/gene-editing-a-controversial-legacy

Guccione, E. (n.d.). Gene Splicing for Therapeutic Use. Reports.mountsinai.org. https://reports.mountsinai.org/article/tisch2021-10-guccione

National Human Genome Research Institute. (2017, August 3). ​What are the Ethical Concerns of Genome Editing? National Human Genome Research Institute; National Institutes of Health. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Genome-Editing/ethical-concerns

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2020, September 17). How does gene therapy work? MedlinePlus; National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/procedures/