The usage of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in personalized medicine offers precise treatments and genetic modifications. This rising, innovative method reshaped medical practice along with the science behind the medicine but brought some ethical concerns.
Table of Contents
- Personalized Medicine
- Important Elements in Personalized Medicine
- CRISPR-Cas9
- Personalized Medicine + CRISPR-Cas9
- Ethical/Practical Concerns
Personalized medicine, also known as precision medicine, customizes healthcare based on individual’s genetics and environments. Unlike traditional medicine for all people, personalized medicine aims to provide the right treatment to each individual based on their different DNA sequences.
Important Elements in Personalized Medicine
- Genomics: Genomics is the study of a person’s genes and their interactions. Genomic information helps predict disease risk and offer various treatments.
- Biomarkers: Biomarkers are markers that indicate disease presence or development. Biomarkers can be genetic, proteomic, or metabolic.
- Data/AI: Advanced algorithms and AI tools can analyze huge amounts of health data to identify certain information of an individual such as a health pattern and predict outcomes.
CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing technology that allows scientists to make precise and targeted changes to a person’s DNA sequence. It derives from a bacterial defense system. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is the guide RNA that guides the Cas9 protein, and Cas9 is the protein cuts and modifies the targeted DNA sequences.
Personalized Medicine + CRISPR-Cas9
Personalized medicine can identify genetic mutations responsible for various diseases. CRISPR-Cas9 is then utilized to correct those genetic mutations. For example, every cancer patient’s cancer has a unique genetic sequence. For the cancer patients, personalized medicine can identify DNA sequence to find targetable mutations. Then, CRISPR-Cas9 can modify immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Ethical/Practical Concerns
Despite the great practicality, there are several ethical and practical challenges that must be considered.
- Influence to other DNA sequences – While CRISPR-Cas9 changes the mutated genes, it is crucial to ensure that other normal parts of the gene are not edited inadvertently.
- Accessibility – Personalized medicine and gene editing therapies are expensive, so ensuring equall access to these advanced treatments is one of the concerns.
- Future Generations – The possibility of germline editing, which are changes that are inheritable, raises significant questions regarding ethics about human genetic modification due to the potential to influence future generations in a negative way. It can also lead to unforeseen consequences in the future on human evolution and society.
The integration of personalized medicine and CRISPR-Cas9 is an innovation in the field of medicine. It offers precise and effective treatments for diseases that are difficult to cure. However, as science and technology develops, ethical and practical considerations should also develop to ensure that these innovations can benefit all people equally.
