Genetics are becoming big business. Imagine giving your kids increased intelligence, increased lifespan or an increased ability to perform physical activity. There are some therapies in the works that have been proven to do that but much more common these days is simply screening your unborn child to make sure it will be healthy.
The DNA tells all... In this article I'd like to talk about a topic that is very interesting and on the cutting edge of scientific technology. I'm referring to gene editing and modification. We are entering an age in which gene editing will become a common practice in eliminating genetic disorders in human beings.
If you have the money you will be able to embark on a path to eliminate all undesirable genes from your genetic code in an effort to become a genetically superior human being and one 'more worthy' of passing on your code to offspring.
Using a swab of saliva from a newborn’s cheek, a new DNA test will probe the baby’s genes to search for 193 genetic diseases, like anemia, epilepsy, and metabolic disorders.
The new procedure is as easy as simply using a swab to take a small saliva sample from a newborn child. It can then be used to detect up to 193 genetic diseases which we may not be able to cure yet but in this rapidly progressing field it wont be long until we can!
The $649 test is meant for healthy babies, as a supplement to existing screening tests. In the US, the government recommends a newborn screening test that looks for a minimum of 34 disorders (though some states have additional requirements as well). The standard test involves a small sample of blood taken from a baby’s heel.
What we are looking at is an advancement which is able to detect over 500% more diseases and with knowledge they are an issue as new treatments become available parents will have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and potentially push forward on ground-breaking new treatments.
According to Eric Schadt, the CEO of Sema4, he said that the purpose of this new test is to provide more options to parents who would like more information about their child’s genes than standard testing delivers. He went on to explain that many people suffer for years before they get diagnosed for some of the diseases that his company’s test covers.
“If you can, at birth, canvass some of the most common disorders, you get a better understanding of the health of your child,” Schadt says. “We think parents want the best for their children and are going to do whatever they can so that their child can have the healthiest life possible.”
What do you guys think about this new age of Gattaca like genetic testing and gene editing? Are we on the verge of completely transforming the human race with designer genes? What dangers should be considered before this becomes everyday practice? Even if we wanted to could this genetic revolution even be stopped?
The world is changing faster than we can sometimes imagine. It is almost a certainty
Thanks for reading @Techblogger!
Source:
A new DNA test will look for 190 diseases in your newborn’s genetic code - Technology Review
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Technology Review
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