Will designer babies be a beacon of hope for HIV?

Will designer babies be a beacon of hope for HIV?

The issue of designer babies, which has been on the agenda for a long time after a scientist in China claimed that the first genetically modified twin babies were born, came to the agenda again with this claim. Üsküdar University Molecular Biology and Genetics Department Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korkut Ulucan evaluated the study in which it was stated that the embryos obtained provided resistance to HIV disease.

The claim that the first genetically modified twin babies were born by a scientist in China has brought designer babies back to the agenda.

Üsküdar University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korkut Ulucan made important evaluations about the study, in which it was reported that the embryos obtained gained resistance to HIV disease and were not intended to solve any clinical problem.

"It is pleasing that this application can be applied to other genes"

Üsküdar University Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korkut Ulucan said, "This issue was already coming up from time to time and will continue to come up. In the statement made, the genes of the protein that introduces HIV into the cells were modified and the virus was prevented from entering the cell. We will wait and see what these allegedly born twins will face and hopefully they will never get the disease. However, whether this application is successful or not, in other words, what effect it will have on the continuation of life is a matter of debate. If this application was done with this gene, it can be done with other genes that may cause clinical problems, which is pleasing."

"What excites us most is the relationship of the application with other genetic shadows"

Stating that the predisposition of the application to any non-clinical application is the main ethical problem, Ulucan said that this situation is debatable, "Moreover, if these individuals do not encounter the virus throughout their lives, they will not get sick anyway, so it is debatable whether this application is successful or not. The most exciting development for us here is whether the scientific approach will be applied to other genetic regions."

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CreatorNP Istanbul Hospital Editorial Board
Updated At05 March 2024
Created At02 December 2018
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