BIO 130 Cuyamaca Community College Gene Editing Technology Discussion

• Apply the knowledge gained in the course to assess contemporary problems/situations in biology.

Post

As DNA is better understood, technology has advanced to the point where we can now edit genetic information using technology called CRISPR. This technology has the ability to change a number of nucleotide sequences to a new, desired sequence. In recent years, there have been ethical concerns over the use of CRISPR, particularly given its potential use in editing fetal cells. Some groups have argued against CRISPR edited babies (sometimes calling them “designer babies”), suggesting that this technology could allow some parents the ability to “choose” genetic traits for their child. Do you think this new gene editing technology should be used? What are some potential positive or negative outcomes? Should parents be able to “choose” traits for their children? If so, is there a limit to what they should be able to choose? Lastly, who or what group of people do you think should regulate something like this (i.e. who would make the decision to edit genetic information)?

Note: there is no right or wrong answer to this discussion prompt. Please use clear reasoning (and/or any evidence you can find) when making your initial post.

• By Sunday: (Personal opinion/experience) Please make an initial reply to this post. For your initial post, I am looking for well supported reply (please provide more than three sentence replies!). Feel free to link studies or trustworthy articles that support your post. Please use complete sentences and appropriate grammar.

Reply to Peers

• By Sunday: Please reply to two of your peers. Do you agree with their post? Did their post make sense? Do you have anything to add to their post? Please keep the discussion civil, we’re all here to learn.