Genetic editing (genetic edition): New bioethical question?
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Published:
Oct 2, 2018
Keywords:
CRISPR-Cas9, gene editing, genetic engineering
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Abstract
Controlled genome mutations are made possible through several techniques since the ’70s. Zinc finger nucleases, TALE nucleases and above all CRISPR -Cas9 system are “gene editing” techniques which have made mutations easier. Particularly, CRISPR -Cas9 system seems to be extremely profitable in terms of accessibility, efficiency and versatility
The aims of the present article are: 1. to reconstruct the main “facts” about the birth of the topic on “gene editing”; to seek to answer a first question about the novelty of issues raised by this topic. Our conclusion is that, from an ethical point of view, using these techniques does not raise new ethical questions. Perhaps, the only exception refers to the specific mutations produced through these techniques which cannot be distinguished from natural mutations and makes GMO classification more difficult.
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Spagnolo, A., Refolo, P., & Pascali, V. (2018). Genetic editing (genetic edition): New bioethical question?. Medicina Y Ética, 29(4), 1181–1202. Retrieved from https://publicaciones.anahuac.mx/index.php/bioetica/article/view/422
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References
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Geneting Editing (genetic edition): New bioethical question?
Medicina y Ética 2018/4 1223
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A prudent path forward for genomic engineering and germline gene modification.
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precise genetic modifications into human 3PN embryos by CRISPR/Cas-mediated
genome editing. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 2016; 33 (5): 581-
588.
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2016 (acceso del 5.4.2017, en: http://w2.vatican.va/content/osservatore-romano/it/
comments/2016/documents/un-esperimento-rischioso.html).
24 CYRANOSKI D. CRISPR gene-editing tested in a person for the first time. Nature
2016; 24; 539 (7630): 479.
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del 7.4.2017, en: http://www.scientificast.it/2015/11/19/genomeediting-e-i-nuoviogm/).
26 WALTZ E. Gene-edited CRISPR mushroom escapes US regulation. Nature 2016;
532 (7599): 293.
27 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES; National Academy of Medicine; National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Committee on Human Gene Editing:
Scientific, Medical, and Ethical Considerations. Human genome editing:
Science, Ethics and Governance. Washington: The Nation Academy of Press;
2017.
28 Acceso del 8.4.2017, en: https://ec.europa.eu/research/ege/index.cfm.
29 Acceso del 8.4.2017, en: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/
DisplayCTMContent?documentId=090000168049034a.300 2 2 1 3400-5114.
2016 (access of 29.11.2016, in: http://nuffieldbioethics.org/wpcontent/uploads/
Genome-editing-an-ethical-review. pdf).
2 INTERNATIONAL BIOETHICS COMMITTEE, UNESCO. Report of the IBC on Updating Its
Reflection on the Human Genome and Human Rights. Paris, 2 October 2015 (acceso
del 30.11.2015, en:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002332/233258E.pdf).
3 NERI D. Embryo editing: a proposito di una recente autorizzazione dell’HFEA.
BioLaw Journal-Rivista di BioDiritto 2016; 1: 261-269.
4 NERI D. Embryo editing: la nuova frontiera della medicina preventiva. Bioetica.
Rivista interdisciplinare 2015; 3-4: 193-218.
5 COMITATO NAZIONALE PER LA BIOETICA (CNB). L’editing genetico e la tecnica CRISPR-
Cas9: considerazioni etiche (23 febbraio 2017). Presidenza del Consiglio dei
Ministri; 2017 (acceso del 6.4.2017, en: http://presidenza.governo.it/bioetica/pdf/
P126__2017_L%E2%80%99editing%20genetico%20e%20la%20tecnica%20CRISPRCAS9%
20considerazioni%20etiche_IT.pdf).
6 MELDOLESI A. E l’uomo creò l’uomo. CRISPR e la rivoluzione dell’editing genomico.
Torino: Bollati Boringhieri; 2017.
7 PESSINA A. Bioetica. L’uomo sperimentale. Milano: Bruno Mondadori; 1999.
8 SERRA A. Ingegneria genetica. Documentazione interdisciplinare di scienza e
fede. 2002 (acceso del 2.3.2017, en: http://disf.org/ingegneria-genetica).
9 PETRINI C. Bioetica, ambiente, rischio. Evidenze, problematicità, documenti istituzionali
nel mondo. Sovaria Mannelli: Rubettino; 2003.
10 KLUG A. The discovery of zinc fingers and their applications in gene regulation
and genome manipulation. Annual Review of Biochemistry 2010; 79: 213-231.
11 KIM Y.G., CHA J., CHANDRASEGARAN S. Hybrid restriction enzymes: zinc finger
fusions to FokI cleavage domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
of the United States of America 1996; 93: 1156-1160.
12 CHRISTIAN M., CERMAK T., DOYLE E.L., SCHMIDT C., ZHANG F., HUMMEL A., BOGDANOVE
A.J., VOYTAS D.F. TARGETING DNA doublestrand breaks with TAL effector
nucleases. Genetics 2010; 186: 757-761.
13 O’KEEFE M., PERRAULT S., HALPERN J., IKEMOTO L., YARBOROUGH M., U.C. North
Bioethics Collaboratory for Life & Health Sciences. “Editing” Genes: A Case Study
About How Language Matters in Bioethics. The American Journal of Bioethics
2015; 15 (12): 3-10.
14 GRISSA I., VERGNAUD G., POURCEL C., The CRISPRdb database and tools to
display CRISPRs and to generate dictionaries of spacers and repeats. BMC Bioinformatics
2007; 8: 172.
15 LEDFORD H. CRISPR, the disruptor. Nature 2015; 522 (7554): 20-24.
16 Acceso del 3.4.2017, en: https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/18/crispr-off-targeteffects/.
Geneting Editing (genetic edition): New bioethical question?
Medicina y Ética 2018/4 1223
17 JINEK M., CHYLINSKI K., FONFARA I., HAUER M., DOUDNA J.A., CHARPENTIER E.A.
programmable dual-RNA-guided DNA endonuclease in adaptive bacterial immunity.
Science 2012; 337 (6096): 816-821.
18 LIANG P., XU Y., ZHANG X., DING C., HUANG R., ZHANG Z., LV J., XIE X., CHEN Y.,
LI Y., SUN Y., BAI Y., SONGYANG Z., MA W., ZHOU C., HUANG J. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated
gene editing in human tripronuclear zygotes. Protein & Cell 2015;6 (5): 363-
372.
19 LANPHIER E., URNOV F., HAECKER S.E., WERNER M., SMOLENSKI J. Don’t edit the
human germ line. Nature 2015; 519 (7544): 410-411.
20 BALTIMORE D., BERG P., BOTCHAN M., CARROLL D., CHARO R.A., CHURCH G.,
CORN J.E., DALEY G., DOUDNA J., FENNER M., GREELY H., JINEK M., MARTIN G.S.,
PENHOET E., PUCK J., STERNBERG S.H., WEISSMAN J.S., YAMAMOTO KR. Biotechnology.
A prudent path forward for genomic engineering and germline gene modification.
Science 2015; 348 (6230): 36-38.
21 LABARBERA A.R. Proceedings of the International Summit on Human Gene Editing:
a global discussion-Washington, D.C., December 1-3, 2015. Journal of assisted
reproduction and genetics 2016; 33 (9): 1123-1127.
22 KANG X., HE W., HUANG Y., YU Q., CHEN Y., GAO X., SUN X., FAN Y. Introducing
precise genetic modifications into human 3PN embryos by CRISPR/Cas-mediated
genome editing. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 2016; 33 (5): 581-
588.
23 PALAZZANI L. Un esperimento pericoloso. L’Osservatore Romano. 3 febbraio
2016 (acceso del 5.4.2017, en: http://w2.vatican.va/content/osservatore-romano/it/
comments/2016/documents/un-esperimento-rischioso.html).
24 CYRANOSKI D. CRISPR gene-editing tested in a person for the first time. Nature
2016; 24; 539 (7630): 479.
25 BREDA A. Riscrivere il DNA: genome editing e i nuovi OGM. 19.11.2015 (acceso
del 7.4.2017, en: http://www.scientificast.it/2015/11/19/genomeediting-e-i-nuoviogm/).
26 WALTZ E. Gene-edited CRISPR mushroom escapes US regulation. Nature 2016;
532 (7599): 293.
27 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES; National Academy of Medicine; National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Committee on Human Gene Editing:
Scientific, Medical, and Ethical Considerations. Human genome editing:
Science, Ethics and Governance. Washington: The Nation Academy of Press;
2017.
28 Acceso del 8.4.2017, en: https://ec.europa.eu/research/ege/index.cfm.
29 Acceso del 8.4.2017, en: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/
DisplayCTMContent?documentId=090000168049034a.300 2 2 1 3400-5114.