Imagine being able to select how one’s offspring will look; the sex, the hair colour, athletic ability, and even intelligence could all be chosen. Designer babies, or build-a-baby, are typically thought of in context of science fiction, but the possible technology used create them already exist.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), created in 1989, was one of the first iterations of a genetic profiling technology that could literally allow people to ‘design’ their offspring. It works in tandem with in-vitro fertilization (IVF), since fertilization in a laboratory after egg retrieval is needed in order to be able to evaluate the embryo before transfer to a female’s uterus. Typically within three days the embryo will have divided into six to eight cells, and the cells are tested for the presence or absence of a gene. A portion of the embryos with the desirable genetic code will then be implanted within the female’s uterus, and the rest of the healthy embryos will be frozen for possible future use. The …show more content…
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is highly successful and allows for people early …show more content…
The possible implications of genetic altering technology is profound. With CRISPR people can theoretically create their ‘perfect’ child.
It has been suggested that if with technological advancements that designer babies were to become mainstream that it may be detrimental to the gene pool. Meanwhile others theorize that designer babies could jumpstart humans on a path to evolution without biological limitations. The future consequences of embryo gene manipulation are wholly unknown since we have barley scratched the surface of various genome altering technology (Baird,
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), created in 1989, was one of the first iterations of a genetic profiling technology that could literally allow people to ‘design’ their offspring. It works in tandem with in-vitro fertilization (IVF), since fertilization in a laboratory after egg retrieval is needed in order to be able to evaluate the embryo before transfer to a female’s uterus. Typically within three days the embryo will have divided into six to eight cells, and the cells are tested for the presence or absence of a gene. A portion of the embryos with the desirable genetic code will then be implanted within the female’s uterus, and the rest of the healthy embryos will be frozen for possible future use. The …show more content…
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is highly successful and allows for people early …show more content…
The possible implications of genetic altering technology is profound. With CRISPR people can theoretically create their ‘perfect’ child.
It has been suggested that if with technological advancements that designer babies were to become mainstream that it may be detrimental to the gene pool. Meanwhile others theorize that designer babies could jumpstart humans on a path to evolution without biological limitations. The future consequences of embryo gene manipulation are wholly unknown since we have barley scratched the surface of various genome altering technology (Baird,