November 16th, 2014

Activity 2.2.3: Genetic Therapy

Procedure

Part I: A Glimpse into the Future

View the clip of human cloning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfqwUlnsGvY

 Part II: Sex Selection

Mr. and Mrs. King have three healthy boys. Although Mrs. King loves her sons, she is tired of being the only female in the house. She and her husband have decided they want to have another child, but this time, they are looking to science to help them conceive a girl.

Use the Internet to research medical interventions that can help Mrs. King fulfill her dream of having a daughter. Investigate the new CRISPR that provide parents the opportunity to choose the gender of their children.

CRISPR Human Genetic Engineering:

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2014/crispr-a-game-changing-genetic-engineering-technique/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/genetically-engineered-human-embryo-crispr/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/evolution/crispr-gene-drives/

IVF: 

http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/invitrofertilization.html

Part III: Designer Babies

Maya and Armond Harris have been trying for years to get pregnant. Their last two attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF) have been unsuccessful. The doctor suggests using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to analyze chromosomes and pinpoint the embryos that have a greater chance of surviving. Maya and Armond are hesitant to select particular embryos – they feel as if this is putting them one step closer to designing their child.

Time article Designer Babies available: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,17696,00.html

 (Links to an external site.)

Part IV: Reproductive Cloning

Marion Waters is desperate to have a child of her own. Despite multiple fertility treatments, she has never been able to conceive. She is a single woman and feels her opportunity to have a child is quickly coming to a close. She sees a report on cloning on the news and begins to wonder if this technology will ever be available to help women in her situation.

View the ArgosBiotech’s website, Cloning: A Timeline, found at  http://www.argosbiotech.de/700/timelines/cloning.htm

 (Links to an external site.)

Explore the science behind reproductive cloning by reading the following articles.Learn.Genetics – What is Cloning:  http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cloning/whatiscloning/

 (Links to an external site.National Human Genome Research Institute – Cloning Fact Sheet: http://www.genome.gov/25020028 (Links to an external site.)