Supervisors info:
Κορναράκης Κωνσταντίνος, αναπληρωτής καθηγητής, ΕΚΠΑ, Θεολογική Σχολή, Τμήμα Θεολογικό
Πρωτοπαπαδάκης Ευάγγελος, επίκουρος καθηγητής, ΕΚΠΑ, Φιλοσοφική σχολή, Τμήμα ΦΠΨ
Φανάρας Βασίλειος, επίκουρος καθηγητής, ΕΚΠΑ, Θεολογική σχολή, Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας και Θρησκειολογίας
Summary:
In recent years, biological laboratories throughout the world have been focusing their research on genetics and particularly on the field of genetic mutations. The reasons behind this development are the significant endorsement of such research (which facilitates the success of most experiments) and the vast range of applications stemming from genetic engineering. Biological experimentation has become easier, more affordable, faster and more accessible, thanks to a new genetic method that essentially appeared for the first time in 2014 and is known as CRISPR.
This method allows scientists to interfere with the DNA chain by cutting, repairing or modifying part of it, thus creating a new DNA and therefore a new genome. To increase the success and accuracy of such tests, geneticists employ certain protein sequences, of which the most widely used is the Cas9 protein. The groundbreaking results of the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be applied on any micro-organism and on animals, plants or even humans.
The applications of gene experiments where the CRISPR/Cas9 method is employed are growing exponentially and are currently spreading to most fields of interest in every scientific community and social group. The list is long: Genetic modifications of animal DNA, aimed at producing animals that meet certain standards, are resistant to diseases and do not require vaccination; modifications of plant DNA, applied with a view to growing vitamin-rich and flavour-enhanced fruits and vegetables; the editing of micro-organisms’ DNA in order to create mosquitoes that are immune to malaria and ecosystems that are free from transmittable diseases; the restructuring of the mechanical metabolism of enzymes and chemical products for the development of new bio-chemical products and fossil fuels, as well as new bio-chemical weapons. However, the genetic modifications that have drawn the most attention are those of the human genome, since they help scientists design new medicines, build genetic models for study, “generate” extraembryonic cells, advance the treatment – or even eradication – of diseases and, finally, “manufacture” human organs. It is obvious that these ongoing and ever-increasing tests aim at the creation, if possible, of an entire human being without the pre-existence and co-presence of the male gamete (sperm) and the female gamete (egg)!
Naturally, these scientific developments, which have gained prominence because of the CRISPR/Cas9 method, have raised many philosophical, legal, social, medical, bioethical and theological questions.
Is it appropriate, one may ask, to experiment on human embryos? Do we have the right to impose hereditary mutations on our society and on future generations? Is there a guarantee for the long-term biological and medical stability of current DNA modifications, or is it possible that a few years later we will be faced with new, more severe diseases? Will there be any legal provision for children born with genetically modified DNA, in case of parental refusal to acknowledge them? Is our interference with the human genome going to lead to the creation of an identical human being or of a different one, and does the soul undergo a similar modification?
In light of the above, it becomes clear that we are dealing with a matter of multidisciplinary interest, one that requires judiciousness, soberness, patience, interdisciplinary dialogue and legal intervention, so that these extremely important research efforts can have a beneficial impact on science and on society as a whole.
Keywords:
Gene, Genome, Mutation, CRISPR, Cas9, DNA, Genetic Modifications
