CRISPR Gene Editing Technology

-


     

An innovation idea that is not possible today, but will most likely be available in the next 15 to 20 years, if not sooner, are powerful machine learning (ML) algorithms capable of editing out genetic defects and complete eradication of disease in the human body through genetic editing known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) (Future Work Institute, n.d.). This technology is already being implemented in the food industry to create high quality products with off-the-charts nutrient compositions, but the potential applications of CRISPR technology in the human genome, including biotech and agriculture, are well known to the scientific community as they research for ways to manage the increasing number of cancer cases and other genetic disorders (Globe Newswire, 2021). Broad Institute (2021) explains the future of CRISPR will make correcting mutations (typos) in humans a possibility, assist in speeding clinical research for diseases like mental illness, cancer, and other genetic disorders. Thinking of ML for gene editing applications, the possibility of predicting disease comes to mind. This will completely change the traditional approach of disease prevention or treatment after a diagnosis, to total eradication of disease in the human body. 

ML as it relates to CRISPR gene editing technology, faces important ethical and social concerns. There have been statements within the scientific community about the right to "play God," given that the technology can potentially eradicate terminal diseases through the alteration of the human genome (Future Work Institute, n.d.). Despite ethical concerns, the healthcare industry continues to invest heavily in the research and development of the technology (Globe Newswire, 2021). 

Future Work Institute (n.d.) dives into this ethical dilemma and questions where to draw the line once gene editing technology becomes mainstream, will it then be allowed for reasons other than curing disease, like choosing hair or eye color in babies ("designer baby")? The technology also faces social dilemmas like impacts to human rights, and even to healthcare policy. Are individuals with disabilities or those impacted by the very diseases gene editing technology can potentially cure in the future, being discriminated against in the event the technology is opposed by policy makers?

The ethical and social dilemmas faced by ML algorithms enhancing gene editing technology like CRISPR, will continue to develop as the technology evolves and scientific researchers get closer to breaking the code in the manipulation of the human genome.


References


Future Work Institute. (n.d.). CRISPR ethical concerns.
https://futureworkinstitute.com/crispr-ethical-concerns/

Globe Newswire. (2021, February 8). Outlook on the CRISPR gene editing global market to 2030 - Analysis and forecasts. 
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/02/08/2171285/28124/en/Outlook-on-the-CRISPR-Gene-Editing-Global-Market-to-2030-Analysis-and-Forecasts.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think Tanks

-
Image
  Lewis (2019) describes think tanks, also known as think factories, idea factories, reflection pools, or policy institutes, as organizations where scholars representing different disciplines assemble to think without any restrictions, conduct research associated with specific issues, ideas, and policies (Aly, 2019; Whittenhauer, n.d.).   Think tanks conduct research, generate ideas, debate issues, and monitor public policy by means of implementing various strategies, which are associated with the business model utilized by the think tank, such as consulting, advocacy, research, and contract efforts (Lewis). There are four types of think tanks as follows: (1) Ideological or advocacy tanks are organizations where problem solving is rooted on an ideological philosophy, (2) Specialist tanks are institutes with a specific focus or theme, such as the environment or foreign policy, (3) Subnational tanks are government-related entities that typically work on specific state policies, ...
Read more

The Rise of Data Scientists

-
Image
  Data science has been used in physics and astronomy, but it is being applied to businesses and finance, manufacturing, and other fields. The demand for data science professionals exploded about two decades ago when businesses began collecting massive amounts of data,  and a shortage of talented individuals, or data scientists, with a specific set of skill sets able to extract the most benefit from the available data (World Data Science, 2022). Data science is a multi-disciplinary field that converges programming, mathematics, statistics, computer science domain expertise, and communication skills, yet seldom organizations are able to find a data scientist that excels at all of them (Bansal, 2021; World Data Science, 2022).  The World Data Science Initiative (2022) reports data science jobs were expected to grow by 364,000 in 2020, but the real number came in at 2,720,000. Data scientists became part of the solution to address the challenges of growing organizational da...
Read more

Big Data Analytics in the Banking Industry

-
Image
  The implementation of big data analytics (BDA) in organizations is a costly and complex undertaking, and given there is no recipe that guarantees a successful implementation and execution, a careful and honest assessment of different aspects of the business must be conducted, from the technology, data collection, the human resources involved in the process, and managerial support (Hajiheydari et al., 2021). Hajiheydari et al. state that approximately 60% to 85% of BDA projects fail not because the technology is bad, but because organizations do not have a clear understanding of how to utilize data analytics to construct achievable business goals,  or how to successfully integrate its practice with day-to-day business operations (Sun et al., 2020). BDA offers financial institutions countless benefits, and provides valuable insights to personalize customer service via the analysis of transactional records and other data, including social media information (Flynn, 2020; Sun et ...
Read more