Designer Baby: Meaning
Designer baby is a human embryo which has been genetically modified, usually following guidelines set by the parents or scientists to produce desirable traits. This is done by using various methods such as germline engineering or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. A designer baby is a baby genetically engineered in vitro for specially selected traits, which can vary from lower disease risk to gender selection.
In simple terms, the designer baby refers to a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics. Using biotechnology, to choose what type of baby you want? What traits could be changed in a designer baby; gender, appearance, intelligence disease and personality
“Adam Nash” is the world’s first known designer baby.
Using a revolutionary new technique, called a pre implantation process. Scientist genetically selected his embryo so that he
would have the right cells to save the life of his dying sister.
Harsha Chawda, India’s first test tube baby was born
in 1986. IVF, the techniques used then, has since gone on to prove a blessing
for several infertile couples.
In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) is a newer form of an
Artificial Reproductive Technology. This technique is useful not only for
infertile couples but also for post-menopausal women, gay couples, single
people and even groups of more than two individuals etc to have their own
children. This technique involves artificial construction of gamete. The
production of gametes along with their fusion occurs in laboratory leading to
creation of an embryo.
There are two genetically modified techniques are as
follows:
1.
HUMAN
GERMLINE ENGINEERING
Generally, it is the process by which the genome of an
induvial is edited in such a way that the change is heritable. It should not be
confused with gene therapy. While gene therapy does change the genome of
targeted cells, these cells are not within the germline, so the alteration are
not heritable and cannot be passed on to the next generation.
Genetic Engineering of Human Gametes, Zygotes, or
Embryos
Genetically modified human creation can be turned into
reality must faster by combining IVG & targeted gene editing technology.
This will help parent parents to select the best embryo as well as facilitate
alteration of certain set of gene, thus generating their version of “perfect
Child” with traits such as height, skin color, eye color, intelligence level
& many other things. The other use with designer babies concerns possible
use of gene therapy to create desired traits of child as related to sex, hair
color & various other cosmetic traits.
Understanding of Genetic for Human Traits
Genetics explain the process of parents passing down certain genes to their children. Gens are inherited from both biological parent & each and every gene expresses a specific trait. Scientists have been able to better understand the genetic traits of human through a project called “The Human Genome Project”. This was launched around 1990 & was an international research project that had an end goal of mapping.
Current Scenario
The scientific community and global community are
quite divided regarding whether human germline engineering should be done or
not. It is currently banned in many of leading developed countries and highly
regulated in the others due to ethical and moral issues. This topic is
presently comes under hotly debatable as the side opposing human germline
modification believes that it will be used to create human with desirable
traits.
The main argument which is in against HGE states in
the ethical & moral feelings that it will dehumanize children. As with
this, parents may be able to design their child completely which leads to fear
that children will transform into an object rather than a human child. Those
which are in favor of human germline modification see it as a medical tool or a
medical cure for certain disease that lie within then genetic code.
So, this is a typically hotter and debatable topic as well as a clash between religious and scientific point of view that weather it is acceptable or not in today global world.
2.
PRE-IMPLANTATION
GENETIC DIAGNOSIS
PGD is the genetic profiling of embryos prior to
implantation & sometimes even of oocytes prior to fertilization. It used to
screen for a specific genetic disease, its main advantage is that it avoids selective
pregnancy termination as the method makes it highly likely that the baby will
be free of disease under consideration.
Three Parent Baby
Three parent baby are human offspring with three
genetic parent, in other words created through a specialized form of IVF in
which the future child’s DNA comes from third person. The process is intended
to prevent mitochondrial diseases.
Conclusion
In the society like India, where pre-natal sex determination is banned due to strong cultural & religious preferences for the male child so this era of IVG & designer babies could lead to a further deterioration of sex ratio. Instead of determining gender, parent could choose to engineer the same prior to conception & evade law, therefore, it should be come with huge strict laws in terms of developing internationally accepted scientific protocols as well as clear ethical norms & practices.
Legal & Regulatory Framework
The legal framework in
various jurisdictions is diverse, taking into consideration the vast
differences in social, cultural and moral norms. It is nonetheless important to
see the legal and regulatory framework in India to understand the law and how it
is treated the germ line gene editing.
India does not have any
specific law that explicitly prohibits genetic editing of germ lines. However,
the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) a government organization,
published the National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research on
Human Participants (Ethical Guidelines), which prohibited “eugenic genetic
engineering for changing/selecting/altering genetic characteristics and
creating so called designer babies” In addition to the Ethical Guidelines, the
National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research 2017 published by the ICMR and the
Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, provide all
the necessary guidance for cellular research including gene editing or
modification, human germ-line engineering and reproductive cloning. The
Guidelines prohibit research related to human germ line gene therapy in the
current state of scientific knowledge and understanding. Research involving
implantation of human embryos after in vitro manipulation, at any stage of
development, into uterus in humans or primates is also strictly prohibited. To
the extent that genome modification is permitted, such modification can only be
done through in vitro studies (i.e. outside the human body) and requires
thorough review by the Institutional Committee for Stem Cell Research,
the Institutional Ethics Committee and the Institutional Biosafety Committee and
the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation. So studies can only be conducted
on spare embryos, germ-line cells or gametes. Further, the genome modified
human embryos should not be cultured beyond 14 days of fertilization or
formation of the primitive streak, whichever is earlier to ensure that these
embryos should not have a possibility of being inserted into the womb.
By:- Anshul Dhingra,
(Currently Pursuing, fifth-year of BBA-LLB (HONS.) course, from GGSIP University)
Well Written 👌
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