Gene editing with CRISPR to stop disease before birth

Recently researchers have edited genes with CRISPR technology to prevent lethal lung disease. Scientists are able to do this by inserting CRISPR reagents into the amniotic fluid while the fetus is still developing. The gene editors were introduced four days before mice gave birth and a change in the airway. After doing this there is much to be discovered but they were able to save 22 percent of the animals from this disease. It's proven that there gene editing worked because otherwise the mice would've died within 24 hours.

More research will be done to see how effective the treatment is in the trial phase. However, I can't help but think about how groundbreaking that would be in order to prevent diseases in people before they actually happen. This research isn't the first of it's kind though and actually started with working on liver disease which can also kill in a relatively quick amount of time. I think that also looking into pancreatic cancer or other cancers would also be influential in there research because of the large effect it has on the human population. Maybe someday we'll be able to edit out all of the diseases out of a person's genome using advanced technology like CRISPR.

Blood Test can diagnose fetal genetic disorders early in pregnancy

According to an article published by the New Scientist, doctors have found a way to sequence small amounts of fetal DNA through the blood of the mother using a non-invasive prenatal test. This test allows us to look at 30 genes linked to dominant genetic diseases. Mutations in the sperm, egg or embryo can lead to these diseases and around 600 babies are born with these conditions. The test will be used for parents who have a family history of sickle cell anaemia, haemophilia, or cystic fibrosis. When the mother is given a positive result for the test she is given the opportunity for more invasive test and information on how to manage the pregnancy correctly.


It is interesting to see how we can possibly make life easier for families expecting children by being able to identify different diseases in the blood and possibly treat them before they become more serious. And even warn parents about the risks their children will have in the future and take precautions.

Non-Invasive Fetal Genetic Test

Researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a non-invasive testing method - Trophoblast Retrieval and Isolation (TRIC). This method of genetic disorder testing is as legitimate as more invasive tests like amniocentesis, and can be performed as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy. Knowing that the placenta is derived from the embryo, its DNA is identical to that of the fetus, thus the cells collected by TRIC can be used for prenatal genetic testing. For this research, data was collected from fetuses anywhere between 5-19 weeks of gestation, all of which were proven to be effective test subjects.

This research opportunity first started as a two year long grant given to the researchers in 2012. Shortly after publishing these discoveries earlier this month, a related paper, head researchers D. Randall Armant and Sascha Drewlo released a seperate paper describing a correlation between the presence of specific proteins in the fetus, obtained by TRIC, and pregnancy complications such as an undernourished fetus, and high blood pressure and kidney disorders in the mother.

Overall, this new fetal genetic testing method can prove to be immensely helpful in identifying the sources of pregnancy complications as well as learning how to manage troublesome pregnancies. I believe this is a much needed discovery in the development of the medical sciences, and that there is so much more that can be done with this new finding, in both testing method and complication correlations.

Picture provided by Medical Xpress (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-reveals-non-invasive-prenatal-genetic-accurate.html).

Non-Invasive Fetal Genetic Test

Researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a non-invasive testing method - Trophoblast Retrieval and Isolation (TRIC). This method of genetic disorder testing is as legitimate as more invasive tests like amniocentesis, and can be performed as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy. Knowing that the placenta is derived from the embryo, its DNA is identical to that of the fetus, thus the cells collected by TRIC can be used for prenatal genetic testing. For this research, data was collected from fetuses anywhere between 5-19 weeks of gestation, all of which were proven to be effective test subjects.

This research opportunity first started as a two year long grant given to the researchers in 2012. Shortly after publishing these discoveries earlier this month, a related paper, head researchers D. Randall Armant and Sascha Drewlo released a seperate paper describing a correlation between the presence of specific proteins in the fetus, obtained by TRIC, and pregnancy complications such as an undernourished fetus, and high blood pressure and kidney disorders in the mother.

Overall, this new fetal genetic testing method can prove to be immensely helpful in identifying the sources of pregnancy complications as well as learning how to manage troublesome pregnancies. I believe this is a much needed discovery in the development of the medical sciences, and that there is so much more that can be done with this new finding, in both testing method and complication correlations.

Picture provided by Medical Xpress (http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-reveals-non-invasive-prenatal-genetic-accurate.html).