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Genetic Enhancement

Genetic Enhancement. Rels 300 / Nurs 330 6 March 2014. German Super-Baby. 2004: The New England Journal of Medicine photo and article: 7-month old baby has a genetic condition that results in extraordinary muscle growth.

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Genetic Enhancement

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  1. Genetic Enhancement Rels 300 / Nurs 3306 March 2014

  2. German Super-Baby 2004: The New England Journal of Medicine photo and article: 7-month old baby has a genetic condition that results in extraordinary muscle growth. At 4 yrs. old, he could hold 7-pound weights in his hands with both arms extended. The boy’s condition is called Gross Muscle Hypertrophy It is characterized by a genetic mutation that blocks the production of myostatin. 300/330 - appleby

  3. Animal Research - Mighty Mouse Se-Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University Lee and his team discovered in 1997 that knocking out the myostatin gene led to mice that were twice as muscular as their normal siblings, lending them the moniker "mighty mice." Later, others showed that naturally bulky cattle, such as Belgian Blues, got their extra muscles from lack of myostatin, too. 300/330 - appleby

  4. Natural Genetic Advantage It is clear simply by looking at the bodies of many gold-medal Olympians that they have a natural genetic advantage. The German super-baby’s Mom was a sprinter with large muscles. Many of the men in her family are also extraordinarily large and strongly muscled. The Mom has one chromosome with the genetic mutation; her son has the genetic mutation on both chromosomes. 300/330 - appleby

  5. Medical Uses of this Finding What diseases have muscle wasting as a primary symptom? What diseases lead to muscle wasting as a secondary symptom of the disease process? What other conditions involve muscle wasting? If a myostatin-blocking drug or gene therapy can be found, should it be developed for use in humans? 300/330 - appleby

  6. Boosting red-blood-cell production In our bodies, a protein called erythropoietin, or epo, regulates the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to our muscles. The more epo you have, the more red blood cells you make. Researchers are working on injecting a gene that would allow the body to make far more epo than normal, without thickening the blood with too many red blood cells. What are the potential uses of this genetic enhancement of oxygenation potential? What ends should this technology serve? Who should have access; should anyone be denied access? 300/330 - appleby

  7. Many athletes and their coaches are avidly following the latest scientific developments When H. Lee Sweeney, a professor of physiology and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, first used gene therapy to create super-muscular mice in 1998, he was swamped by e-mail messages from athletes and coaches wanting to use his discovery to improve athletic performance. One request came from a high-school football player who wanted to inject all the kids on his team. 300/330 - appleby

  8. Is it wrong for athletes without this kind of extraordinary natural capacity to want to level the playing field? YES? NO? WHY? 300/330 - appleby

  9. Is the International Olympic Committee concerned about genetic enhancement of athletes? The World Anti-Doping Code: The 2006 Prohibited List M3. Gene Doping The non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to enhance athletic performance, is prohibited. 300/330 - appleby

  10. Is Genetic Enhancement Inevitable? Dalhousie’s Francoise Baylis & Jason Scott Robert say, “We contend that attempts to develop and use [genetic enhancement technologies] are inevitable.” Why would they say this? What might they say about genetic alteration to block the production of myostatin in persons with MS? in athletes? 300/330 - appleby

  11. Objections to genetic enhancement: Theme 1: Genetic enhancement technologies are intrinsically wrong • genetic enhancement technologies = “playing God” • It is wrong to intentionally shape and manipulate the human genetic structure. • genetic enhancement transgresses against the intrinsic value of human dignity 300/330 - appleby

  12. Theme 2: Genetic enhancement has negative biological consequences Genetic enhancement technologies introduce a threat to our common genetic heritage What might be threatening about genetic enhancement? Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights 1997 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13177&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html 300/330 - appleby

  13. A. Human dignity and the human genome Article 1The human genome underlies the fundamental unity of all members of the human family, as well as the recognition of their inherent dignity and diversity. In a symbolic sense, it is the heritage of humanity. Article 2(a) Everyone has a right to respect for their dignity and for their rights regardless of their genetic characteristics. (b) That dignity makes it imperative not to reduce individuals to their genetic characteristics and to respect their uniqueness and diversity. 300/330 - appleby

  14. Our Genetic Future (A Survey by PBS)What are your thoughts about our genetic future? Take this survey and let us know what you think. Question 1: Would you want yourself or a loved one to be tested for a gene that increases your risk for a disease, but does not determine whether you will actually develop the disease? Yes    No Undecided http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/survey.html 300/330 - appleby

  15. Question 2: Would you want yourself and your mate to be tested before having offspring to determine whether you were both carriers for a disease, in which case you are at high risk for having a child who contracts the disease? Yes    No    Undecided 300/330 - appleby

  16. Question 3: Should testing of unborn children be restricted to traits that are commonly considered deleterious, such as disease genes? Yes     No    Undecided 300/330 - appleby

  17. Question 4: Should altering a newly conceived person to improve normal qualities -- such as innate intelligence, appearance, strength, etcetera -- be allowed? Yes    No    Undecided 300/330 - appleby

  18. Question 5: Should genes or other genomic material be patented? Yes   No    Undecided 300/330 - appleby

  19. Question 10: Based on what you know now, do you think we as a society are prepared to deal with all of the information that will come out of the Human Genome project? Yes    No     Undecided 300/330 - appleby

  20. Theme 3: Use of genetic enhancement techno-logies will result in harmful social consequences Genetic enhancement technologies will have both individual consequences and potentially enormous social consequences • increased life-span • http://anti-agingresearch.org • http://www.worldhealth.net/news/anti-ageing_gene_found • increased height • http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/diabetes/ghd.html • http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/human-growth-hormone-and-the-measure-of-man • http://www.usdoctor.com/gh.htm 300/330 - appleby

  21. Theme 3: cont’d Genetic enhancement will widen the gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” This could leading to increasing realms of discrimination For some, Genetic enhancement will promote personal and social ….? For others, Genetic enhancement will undermine personal and social …..? 300/330 - appleby

  22. Theme 4: The means of achieving good ends are not all morally equal While enhancing human capacities and traits may be a laudable goal, differing means by which goals are achieved are not morally equal • goal = athletic achievement; means =training; steroids; top-notch equipment; HGH; myostatin suppression; endurance training • goal = academic excellence on exam; means =mood enhancement (SSRIs); class attendance; Ritalin use (increased attention); study; genetic enhancement of memory; Modafil to prevent sleep Are these means all morally equal? Or acceptable? 300/330 - appleby

  23. Baylis & Roberts say genetic enhancement technologies are inevitable because: humans are competitive beings, always looking for new and challenging opportunities to maximize personal, social and economic gain for many people, their goal is to exceed all possible human limits, in themselves and in their children 300/330 - appleby

  24. In support of Enhancement • Human persons already make choices that affect the development of their children: • Choosing healthy procreative partners (or donors) • Preimplantation embryo testing • Prenatal testing • Gestational health & interventions • Many enhancements would improve a child’s well-being and are non-harmful • Genetic choices are an aspect of procreative liberty • Parental choices should not be restricted • Parental autonomy should not be undermined 300/330 - appleby

  25. Where do we go from here? Bioethical attention must turn to analysing and influencing “how the technologies will be developed, and the individual, social, cultural, political, economic, ecological and evolutionary ends the technologies should serve” say Baylis & Roberts 300/330 - appleby

  26. The Case Against Perfection: What's wrong with designer children, bionic athletes, and genetic engineering?Michael J. Sandel; The Atlantic, April 2004 “Since the 1980s human growth hormone has been approved for children with a hormone deficiency that makes them much shorter than average. “[S]omedoctors began prescribing hormone treatments for children whose short stature was unrelated to any medical problem. By 1996 such "off-label" use accounted for 40 percent of human-growth-hormone prescriptions. 300/330 - appleby

  27. “Eli Lilly & Co. recently persuaded the FDA to approve its human growth hormone for healthy children whose projected adult height is in the bottom one percentile—under five feet three inches for boys and four feet eleven inches for girls. This concession raises a large question about the ethics of enhancement: If hormone treatments need not be limited to those with hormone deficiencies, why should they be available only to very short children? Why shouldn't all shorter-than-average children be able to seek treatment? And what about a child of average height who wants to be taller so that he can make the basketball team?” 300/330 - appleby

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