Scientists Have Made Their First Attempt at Gene Editing Inside a Human Patient - Sensationalist Headlines

[t]https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F11%2Fgettyimages-504360380.jpg&w=800&q=85[/t][t]http://www.windsorstar.com/news/world/cms/binary/15709676.jpg?size=640x420[/t] [quote](OAKLAND, Calif.) — Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person’s DNA to try to cure a disease. The experiment was done Monday in California on 44-year-old Brian Madeux. Through an IV, he received billions of copies of a corrective gene and a genetic tool to cut his DNA in a precise spot. “It’s kind of humbling” to be the first to test this, said Madeux, who has a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome. “I’m willing to take that risk. Hopefully it will help me and other people.” Signs of whether it’s working may come in a month; tests will show for sure in three months. If it’s successful, it could give a major boost to the fledgling field of gene therapy. Scientists have edited people’s genes before, altering cells in the lab that are then returned to patients. There also are gene therapies that don’t involve editing DNA. But these methods can only be used for a few types of diseases. Some give results that may not last. Some others supply a new gene like a spare part, but can’t control where it inserts in the DNA, possibly causing a new problem like cancer. This time, the gene tinkering is happening in a precise way inside the body. It’s like sending a mini surgeon along to place the new gene in exactly the right location. “We cut your DNA, open it up, insert a gene, stitch it back up. Invisible mending,” said Dr. Sandy Macrae, president of Sangamo Therapeutics, the California company testing this for two metabolic diseases and hemophilia. “It becomes part of your DNA and is there for the rest of your life.” That also means there’s no going back, no way to erase any mistakes the editing might cause. “You’re really toying with Mother Nature” and the risks can’t be fully known, but the studies should move forward because these are incurable diseases, said one independent expert, Dr. Eric Topol of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego. Protections are in place to help ensure safety, and animal tests were very encouraging, said Dr. Howard Kaufman, a Boston scientist on the National Institutes of Health panel that approved the studies. He said gene editing’s promise is too great to ignore. “So far there’s been no evidence that this is going to be dangerous,” he said. “Now is not the time to get scared.”[/quote] More in the TIME article below after "Woe From Head to Toe" title mark [url]http://time.com/5025029/science-gene-editing-dna/[/url] [url]https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/healthtrending/scientists-have-made-their-first-attempt-at-gene-editing-inside-a-human-patient/[/url] [url]https://www.cbsnews.com/news/first-gene-editing-in-the-body-hunter-syndrome/[/url]

Ive always wondered how the field of genetic alterations would advance in humans since DNA varies so much from species to species. Metaphors don't really do justice to it. Religious issues with it not-withstanding I always assumed that federal law was preventing it even on willing and sound patients.

Cool! I'm still really sure that there are labs out there, either privately funded by big pharma, or government blacksites that are pretty much Indian Hill, where they are playing around with this kind of thing far more unethically. Especially in china.

Man that's cool. I hope it works.

Fingers crossed for this guy. If successful, this could swing the doors wide open. I would be super happy if I one day could receive some kind of gene therapy to rid myself of my asthma and allergies. Though granted, I've no idea if it's actually possible to be rid of those things that way, but a man can hope. :v:

[QUOTE=bigbadbarron;52895408]Ive always wondered how the field of genetic alterations would advance in humans since DNA varies so much from species to species. Metaphors don't really do justice to it. Religious issues with it not-withstanding I always assumed that federal law was preventing it even on willing and sound patients.[/QUOTE] The principles and methods learned from tests on animals create a solid foundation for starting on humans. While the knowledge doesn't apply 1:1, it is similar enough.

Just wait until that guys becomes a vial in some black-site.

Cool to see this kind of tech reaching clinical studies; however, I'm cautiously optimistic on this, as this uses an older method for gene editing called zinc finger nucleases. It's been around for a decent while, but has a number of problems that are hopefully solved by using CRISPR-cas9 (mostly in the specificity). I guess the reason why they aren't using CRISPR is simply due to the maturity of the technology as CRISPR is still very immature and ZFN has been around for a while and been studied in animals.

Fingers crossed this tech progresses unhindered long enough for the people and governments to see the potential we have to eventually completely irradicate genetic diseases.

[QUOTE=Rossy167;52897023]Fingers crossed this tech progresses unhindered long enough for the people and governments to see the potential we have to eventually completely irradicate genetic diseases.[/QUOTE] Given that the next step is to figure out how to improve people, the military applications are straightforward enough to keep it safe.

[QUOTE=Rossy167;52897023]Fingers crossed this tech progresses unhindered long enough for the people and governments to see the potential we have to eventually completely irradicate genetic diseases.[/QUOTE] too late buddy, the conservatives are already shaping up that as another eugenics purge by liberals. I shit you not, the same forces that insist every sperm is a person are already launching the first stages of another war to restrict people's choice to prevent pregnancies with genetic disorders, and when we have the technology to change that invitro they're going to fight against that as well [editline]16th November 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Reviized;52896864]Cool to see this kind of tech reaching clinical studies; however, I'm cautiously optimistic on this, as this uses an older method for gene editing called zinc finger nucleases. It's been around for a decent while, but has a number of problems that are hopefully solved by using CRISPR-cas9 (mostly in the specificity). I guess the reason why they aren't using CRISPR is simply due to the maturity of the technology as CRISPR is still very immature and ZFN has been around for a while and been studied in animals.[/QUOTE] they only need it to be like 1% effective anyways since they just have to trigger some liver cells to mutate instead of all of them to provide a noticable improvement in quality of life.

[QUOTE=Sableye;52897377]too late buddy, the conservatives are already shaping up that as another eugenics purge by liberals. I shit you not, the same forces that insist every sperm is a person are already launching the first stages of another war to restrict people's choice to prevent pregnancies with genetic disorders, and when we have the technology to change that invitro they're going to fight against that as well[/QUOTE] This is the main worry: having the technology to modify DNA before birth and not using it could potentially be the cause of innumurable amounts of human suffering.

Baby steps, then comes solving the problem of aging.

[QUOTE=Rossy167;52898384]This is the main worry: having the technology to modify DNA before birth and not using it could potentially be the cause of innumurable amounts of human suffering.[/QUOTE] One of the things I'm worried about is how gene editing might affect our future class systems. Science is run by big corporation to get funded, which means that its most likely going to be an expensive procedure only for the wealthy. That could create huge problems where the children of wealthy people have far superior genes to those who can't afford it.

[QUOTE=omarfr;52900098]One of the things I'm worried about is how gene editing might affect our future class systems. Science is run by big corporation to get funded, which means that its most likely going to be an expensive procedure only for the wealthy. That could create huge problems where the children of wealthy people have far superior genes to those who can't afford it.[/QUOTE] Honestly, provided governments do what governments are supposed to do we'll be more than fine. But governments doing what they're for is taboo as fuck in most countries so yeah... Also it's kind of already a thing, I mean just because of how life works and how people treat people successful people are less likely to be disabled and more likely to be attractive than unsuccessful people given the same opportunities. I don't know if that's a controversial statement? We basically will need national healthcare and strict regulation otherwise we'll end up in a real life cyberpunk dystopia.

We'be got more problems than just implementing National Health Care, Medicare is expensive as all fuck and only getting worse because of the increasing health issues in our society. Basically we're screwed.

Hopefully it will work! I wish this guy all the best.

Out of curiosity whats the possibility of 'gene patents' coming into existence?

[QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;52915242]Out of curiosity whats the possibility of 'gene patents' coming into existence?[/QUOTE] Probably 100%.

[QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;52915242]Out of curiosity whats the possibility of 'gene patents' coming into existence?[/QUOTE] They already exist.

He don't give a fuck because he knows what it means to do these tests, if they cause him to die sooner than his disease he knows that, but it could help out with others in the future, donating his diseased body to science to help us better understand how to alter our DNA.

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;52915281]They already exist.[/QUOTE] Naturally-occurring DNA sequences cannot be patented, the Supreme Court has already passed a ruling on this.

[quote]“We cut your DNA, open it up, insert a gene, stitch it back up. Invisible mending,” said Cave Johnson, president of Aperture Science[/quote]

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;52915334]Naturally-occurring DNA sequences cannot be patented, the Supreme Court has already passed a ruling on this.[/QUOTE] And yet patterns are already held on naturally-occurring DNA sequences.

It depends on the innovation involved. I'm not a patent lawyer and anyone taking legal advice from a random internet forum needs to take a good hard look at themselves but generally if people develop a new technique with some applicable value then that is patentable. There is a lot of interesting work on gene technologies and a lot of it probably wouldn't happen if people thought they couldn't make money off of it. In terms of gene therapy that inserts genes into future progeny, the law is not ready for that at all. I think there'll be a blanket ban on it for a while. That of course won't stop people from doing it and it'll be up to the courts to decide how it handles each case.

[QUOTE=Sims_doc;52918849]And yet patterns are already held on naturally-occurring DNA sequences.[/QUOTE] Really? Which? Because the US Supreme Court [url="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/569/12-398/"]ruled in 2013[/url] that patents on naturally-occurring DNA sequences are invalid.

Furry shots when? I don't think Gene patents for humans will go over well, the idea of a corporate entity quite literally owning part of your body sounds like slavery.

[QUOTE=shad0w440;52919694]Furry shots when? I don't think Gene patents for humans will go over well, the idea of a corporate entity quite literally owning part of your body sounds like slavery.[/QUOTE] [IMG_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/wWy0SGv.jpg[/IMG_thumb] Has science gone too far? (Hypertrichosis is among the many changes that could be made for cosmetic reasons. It could be cured, or induced if desired. Things like this wouldn't be able to be patented, as they are not novel ideas or inventions. Perhaps if patent law gets to be more absurd than it already is.) I can honestly envision a world where gene therapy is cheap and so accessible that changes like this and MSTN (easy big muscles) knockout are commonplace. Baldness will be a thing of the past. CRISPR will cure cancer. We just need look to nature for inspiration. Some of you may be familiar with Peto's Paradox - how does a blue whale not die of cancer despite having a comparable or greater lifespan than humans and significantly greater numbers of cells that could develop into cancer? Those developments in biotech herald the coming of a new age, perhaps more significant for mankind than computers have been. The consequences of this kind of therapy becoming commonplace are mind boggling. Biological immortality may be possible for humans. Coupled with machine surrogacy, lifespans may exceed our wildest imagination. It's hard not be to be excited but simultaneously nervous.