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Precision Gene Editing
mpthompson writes "NewScientist.com is reporting that scientists at Sangamo Biosciences have developed a method of editing DNA mutations with unprecedented precision without weaving in potentially harmful foreign genetic material. Different combinations of amino acids are designed to latch on and cut the DNA at exactly the place where the mutated gene lies. This triggers the body's natural repair process which corrects the gene where the DNA was cut. The technique will be used to target diseases caused by single-gene mutations such as combined immune deficiency (X-SCID) - or bubble boy disease - and sickle cell anaemia."
The article only mentions cutting the DNA and then "allowing the body's natural repair processes" to do the rest - it seems that this technique could also be useful in inserting genes at precise locations in DNA instead of letting viruses and bacteria insert genetic material wherever they please? I am no genetic engineer, can anyone comment?
"and it is among the benefits of science that it equips the future for its duties."
-- Alfred North Whitehead, 1927
Before the first atom bomb was detonated, there were some scientists that thought that the nuclear reaction would spread and ignite the entire atmosphere. Despite their reservations, the tests were done anyway. Screwing up has never been a risk people considered worthy enough to stop a scientific experiment.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
Great, now the gene splicers have the equivalent of a hex editor, but still have no clue what they are editing. It's like hacking binary code out of one program and inserting into another program and somehow getting it to work.
Until we have a better handle on Gene Expression and how to actually interpret the genetic code we should proceed cautiously.
To quote Dr. J. Craig Venter, Time's Scientist of the year (2000).
"We know far less than one per cent of what will be known about biology, human physiology, and medicine.
My view of biology is 'We dont know shit.' "
If any am being overcautious or am ill-informed please feel free to correct me. I try to live by the motto, "Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should." This applies to System Administration as much as it does to gene-hacking.
Yeah, but you have to ask yourself whether the elevated rate of DNA repair is significant compared to the constant repair going on due to standard ROS/RNS/other radical attacks.
:)
And their current results of the 18% corrected rate, as they point out, is therapeutically effective.
Plus, their recognition system using zinc fingers may have a higher recognition rate for the targeted sequence, and the corrections are applied to only a small area of DNA - so the overall error rate of DNA replication/repair is spread out over the cells they are treating.
If I had a disease of the blood requiring gene therapy, I'd rather have this treatment than gene therapy using an adenoviral vector - that method is just asking for trouble with near random genomic insertion.
It's a clever idea - hope to see it developed further