Pathos, Ethos and CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

Pathos, Ethos and CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

1. Information about CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and is defined as the basis for the technology of editing revolutionary genome that allows DNA researchers to make precise modifications to them (Dominguez et al, 2016).  Cas9, on the other hand, is DNA endonucleases enzyme that Is RNA guided that plays an essential role in the immunological defense of specific bacteria against DNA viruses.  This process is heavily used in applications that involve genetic engineering (Quétier, 2016).  Over the last years, the applications of CRISPR have been increasingly appreciated and developed since it is considered as a significant scientific breakthrough in the field of medicine (Gottlieb & Lombrozo, 2019). The applications of CRISPR-Cas9 Technology are a multitude of kinds. First, this technology is effective for treating medical conditions such as cancer, hepatitis B and high cholesterol, all which have genetic components (Dominguez et al, 2016). Secondly, CRISPR-Cas9 Technology is applied in the editing of genomes of Somatic, which are non-reproductive cells in the body.

2. Implications of the technology and ethical issues with its advancement

CRISPR-Cas9 technology has a moral implication that any changes that occur  in germline cells will be inheritable. Also, carrying out gene editing in these reproductive cells is prohibited  in many countries, and thus, it cannot be applied freely (Quétier, 2016). Another implication of CRISPR-Cas9 is that, using it in somatic cells in not controversial. Indeed, such technology has been earlier used to cure human diseases on few and exceptional life threatening skills (Gottlieb & Lombrozo, 2019). The other implications of CRISPR-Cas9 technology include therapeutic application, transcriptional regulation, and genome-wide screening. The advancement of this technology is likely to replace the current species of organisms with new ones due to gene mutations. In future also, ths technology will change shift its focus from its use in animal models to the treatment of human diseases (Dominguez et al, 2016). Finally, CRISPR-Cas9 technology advancement will eliminate off-target effects in genes.

3. My Response to the Reading

• Evidence of ethos and pathos in the literature

The literature of CRISPR-Cas9 technology has several testimonies of ethos and pathos. Substantial evidence of ethos in this technology is the balance between risks and benefits (Adli, 2018). The application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology since it involves the risk of producing dangerous mutations.  The sufferings that may be brought by such risks create an emotional appeal. Additionally, the CRISPR-Cas9 technique is associated with ecological disequilibrium and therefore, its ethical to put up regulatory measures to avoid dissemination of organisms (Quétier, 2016). Lastly, regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration of the US have put regulatory standards to enable companies to undertake proper genetic modifications to produce precise and safe products only (Gottlieb & Lombrozo, 2019). Users are therefore persuaded to be keen as they seek CRISPR-Cas9 technology products.

• Positive and negative implications of gene editing

Gene editing has both positive and negative implications. It implies an improvement in the medical field as researchers are trying the means possible to perform gene modifications that will help deal with complications of the human genome (Adli, 2018). Gene editing implies a step in fighting cancer and hereditary diseases. Additionally, it also means growth in food production and its technology (Dominguez et al, 2016). The negative implications of gene editing are that it creates an ethical dilemma since it creates social problems. Additionally, it may interfere with the human genome due to mutations.

• Consequences of using CRISPR-Cas9 for gene editing.
• Using CRISPR-Cas9 for gene editing may lead to a permanent alteration to the DNA sequence of humans.
• Editing cells with CRISPR-Cas9 could trigger the development of cancer in other cells.
• DNA edits aimed at inserting and deleting cells may lead to permanent switch off of DNA cells, and this is dangerous (Quétier, 2016).
• Gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 may have pathogenic consequences in the mitotically active cells.
• It may damage the reproductive (germline) cells, an adverse effect that will be passed from one generation to the next.

Reference

Adli, M. (2018). The CRISPR tool kit for genome editing and beyond. Nature       communications, 9(1), 1911.

Dominguez, A. A., Lim, W. A., & Qi, L. S. (2016). Beyond editing: repurposing CRISPR–Cas9 for precision genome regulation and interrogation. Nature reviews Molecular cell            biology, 17(1), 5.

Gottlieb, S., & Lombrozo, T. (2019). WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF SCIENTIFIC          EXPLANATION?. What is Scientific Knowledge?: An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology of Science.

Quétier, F. (2016). The CRISPR-Cas9 technology: closer to the ultimate toolkit for targeted         genome editing. Plant science, 242, 65-76.