Unit 11

Main Reading

English Vietnamese
14.Gene editing provides an opportunity for the public to participate
in developing a regulatory framework. To some extent, this public
engagement is already happening, through the media and
documentary series such as Netflix's Unnatural Selection. But these
platforms often suggest Western narratives which aren't applicable in
every context. This is especially relevant for countries where
traditional medicine is a norm for many citizens and private
healthcare is often out of reach. Countries may have language,
cultural and traditional barriers which these narratives don't cater for.
There's no one-size-fits-all model for public engagement.
15. This isn't uncharted territory.
Engagement with specific populations has already been done in
Africa, most notably with the San population. The first South African
Gene Editing Conference was recently held at the University of
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. It was a crucial first step towards a
conversation on gene editing on the African continent.
16. It's important to consider the religious, social and cultural context
when developing a regulatory framework. Giene editing gives people
control over human genetics which was previously impossible. It
presents the opportunity to remove disease from the human
population. The time is ripe to embrace this technology so that it's
safe to use in humans and to establish a framework within which it
may be applied.
1. Word and phrase explanation

a. a five-year moratorium (P. 4)

b. resistant to HIV acquisition (P. 4)

c. had crossed the line (P. 5)

d. Political legitimization (P. 7)

e. international legally binding instrument (P. 8)

f. is fraught with ethical issues (P. 11)

h. uncharted territory (P. 15)

2. Comprehension questions

a. What are the differences between the two types of gene editing? Which one is
more acceptable, and which one is not?

b. According to the author, who should be involved and what aspects should be
considered in the debate over standards of human gene editing?

c. What are the characteristics of international law?

d. Why does the author say gene editing has created a new "race to the moon" (P.
10)?

e. What lesson from the climate change movement can be applied to the issue of
human gene editing?

g. What are some first steps already taken to engage the public, and what should be
considered in the process of developing a regulatory framework for human gene
editing?
SUMMARY
Extra reading
Human Genome Editing and Ethical Questions

English Vietnamese
1. The Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing,
organized by the Royal Society, the U.K. Academy of Medical
Sciences, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences and Medicine and
The World Academy of Sciences, was held this week in March 2023
at the Francis Crick Institute in London.Scientists,bioethicists,
physicians,patients and others gathered to discuss the latest
developments on this technology that lets researchers modify DNA
with precision. And a major topic at the summit was how to enforce
research policies and ethical principles for human genome editing.
2. One of the first agenda items was how to regulate human genome
editing in China in light of its misuse in 2018, when scientists
modified the DNA of two human embryos before birth to have
resistance against HIV infection. The controversy stems from the fact
that because the technology is relatively early in its development, and
its potential risks have not been reduced or eliminated, editing human
embryos in ways they could pass on to their own offspring could lead
to a variety of known and unknown adverse complications.
The summit speakers noted that while China has updated its
guidelines and laws on human genome editing, it failed to address
privately funded research - an issue other countries also face. Many
countries, including the U.S., do not have sufficiently robust
regulatory frameworks to prevent a repeat of the 2018 scandal.
3. We are a biochemist and a geneticist who teach and conduct
research in genomics and ethics at the Rochester Institute of
Technology. As in our classrooms, debate about genome editing
continues in the field.
4. The human genome typically consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes
made of approximately 3.2 billion nucleotides - the building blocks of
DNA.There are four nucleotides that make up DNA: adenine (A),
thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). If the genome were a
book, each chromosome would be a chapter,each gene on a particular
chromosome would be a paragraph and each paragraph would be
made of individual letters (A, T, G or C).
5. One can imagine a book with over 3 billion characters might need
editing to correct mistakes that occurred during the writing or copying
processes.
6. Genome editing is a way for scientists to make specific changes to
the DNA in a cell or in an entire organism by adding, removing or
swapping in or out one or more nucleotides. In people, these changes
can be done in somatic cells, those with DNA that cannot be inherited
by offspring, or in gamete cells, those containing DNA that can be
passed on to offspring. Genome editing of gamete cells, which
includes egg or sperm, is controversial, as any changes would be
passed on to descendants. Most existing guidelines and policies
prohibit its use at this time.
7. Many questions remain concerning the safety of genome editing,
along with its potential to promote eugenics and exacerbate inequities
and inequality.
8. A number of the summit's sessions involved discussion on the
ethics and regulation of the use of this tool. While the landmark 1979
Belmont Report outlined several ethical pillars to guide human
research in the U.S., it was published before human genome editing
was developed. In 2021, the World Health Organization issued
recommendations on human genome editing as a tool to advance
public health. There is no current international law governing human
genome editing.
9. There is still a debate regarding how to use this technology. Some
people equate genome editing to interfering with the work of rod and
argue that it shouldn't be used at all, while others recognize its
potential value and weigh that against its potential risks. The latter
focuses on the fundamental question of where to draw the line
between which applications are considered acceptable and which are
not. For example, some people will agree that using genome editing to
modify a defective gene that may lead to an infant's death if untreated
is acceptable. But these same people may frown upon the use of
genome editing to ensure that an unborn child has specific physical
features such as blue eyes or blond hair.
10. Nor is there consensus about what diseases are desirable targets.
For example, it may be acceptable to modify a gene to prevent an
infant's death but not acceptable to modify one that prevents a disease
later in life, such as the gene responsible for Huntington's disease.
11. The potential for positive applications of human genome editing is
both numerous and tantalizing. But establishing informed regulatory
legislation everyone can agree on is and will continue to be a
challenge.
Conferences such as the human genome editing summit are one way
to continue important discussions and educate the scientific
community and the public on the benefits and risks of genome editing.