drip drip ,drip ..slowly "they" r "releasing" what "they" r really doing ? how much ya wanna 'bet' "they" R Wayyyyyyyyyyy past this ..shit hum :o
A meeting at the FDA on experiments to create GMO humans has brought disturbing information to light.
Action Alert! Today, the US Food and Drug Administration held
day one of a public meeting outlining the creation of genetically modified humans. These experiments won’t take place in the distant future. In fact,
GMO embryos have already been created via in vitro experiments. Specifically, the FDA
is discussing the
genetic manipulation of human eggs and embryos in order to prevent
inherited mitochondrial disease and treat infertility. The GMO
techniques under consideration include manipulation at the mitochondrial
level to replace or augment mutant rDNA and methods that could create
babies with three parents. While
the FDA has stated that the agency “recognizes” that there are “ethical and social policy issues” to be considered—and despite the fact that
forty-four countries have already banned this kind of genetic manipulation—the FDA won’t bother to discuss if
human clinical trials should
take place (that’s considered to be “outside the scope” of the
meeting). Instead, they’ll outline how such trials should be
conducted. Meeting participants will deliberate on what animal and in
vitro studies (
experiments that
take place outside of a living organism) will be necessary before human
experimentation, as well as the potential risks for study participants
and “
any children that result from such studies.” For now, the desired genetic outcomes discussed will be limited to the prevention of
inherited mitochondrial diseases (e.g.,
LHON) or infertility due to abnormalities in the quality and quantity of mitochondria in female eggs—though there is
no scientific consensus on how important mitochondrial factors are to female infertility. A bit of background on why mitochondria are the focus here:
mitochondria are
your cells’ “powerhouses” that, among other things, generate the energy
(ATP) you need to survive. Mitochondria have their own DNA—called
mtDNA—that is
more prone to mutation than nucleic DNA. In fact, it is the accumulation of mitochondrial mutations that can contribute to
aging, cancer, and metabolic diseases. Some mutations in mtDNA can trigger mitochondrial disease, which can then be passed
from mother to child (but not father to child). Due to
a number of factors, it’s extremely difficult to predict how sick a child will become from its mother’s mitochondrial mutations. They
could even be asymptomatic.
An FDA documentoutlines disturbing potential pitfalls of clinical trials to create GMO humans:
- Sex selection. Because female children produced from
mitochondrial manipulation could still pass on mutant mtDNA, the use of
“gender selection” could enter into human trials. This means scientists
would specifically choose male embryos for implantation, while rejecting
female embryos. This could set the stage for sex selection by the
American public. The ramifications of sex selection are very real: in
India and China, sex selection has led to a skewed ratio of men to women, which may, in turn, be contributing to violence against women.
- Three-parent babies. The FDA discusses the creation and study of
“three-parent” embryos, in which the mutated mtDNA from Mom #1’s egg is
replaced with healthy mtDNA from Mom #2 (which is then fused, via in
vitrofertilization, with Dad’s sperm). This technology could “trigger all kinds of devastating problems (most likely through epigenetic changes)” that might not become evident until the fetus is already developing.
- Dangerous epigenetic changes. As we reported recently, epigenetics considers
how outside influences (i.e., environmental factors) may affect the way
genes are expressed. As noted above, studies show that techniques like
mtRNA could cause unpredictable epigenetic changes in embryos, resulting
in birth defects.
- Sick children. “Of particular concern” to the FDA is that it may
be impossible to predict how genetic modification will affect a child
until it is born. This means these seemingly inevitable GMO human
experiments may lead to very sick children.
- The “Gattaca effect.” It’s
easy to see how the concept of GMO humans could quickly get out of
hand. Beyond sex selection, it’s foreseeable that such technology could
be used to genetically engineer children with desirable physical and
health traits. This also raises the question of the affordability of
these therapies—might there come a day where only the super-rich could
afford genetically perfect children?
One thing not mentioned in the FDA document is the risk that non-human
genetic material could be added at some point. This is a truly
terrifying thought—and a distinct possibility. If you’re interested in
virtually participating in tomorrow’s public meeting, you may do so
online,
via the FDA’s webcast link. Action
Alert! In keeping with our “favor nature” philosophy, ANH-USA thinks
this is a potentially tragic road to go down. If you agree, you can send
a message to the FDA here
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