The Genius of Gene Editing

The Greatest Medical Innovations


This week on Universal Medicine we explore the technological history of medicine and how it has helped many in the times of need. Of course, this topic is a debateable matter with everyone having opinions of what they believe is the greatest medical innovation but Universal Medicine will be analysing two eye-opening innovations which range from being extremely well-known to a more recent innovation- nevertheless all of these technological based advances have had/could have extravagant impacts to the medical world.

Artificial hearts

Firstly, a very popular medical advancement is the use of artificial hearts. A staggering 30% of deaths, globally, is caused due to heart disease hence the importance of artificial hearts. The scientist Robert Jarvik is said to be the inventor of the artificial heart as, in 1982, Jarvik 7 was the name given to the first implanted artificial heart. Since, 1982 the advancement of the artificial heart has led to around 1,413 implants. However, to create such mechanism the nature of how blood is pumped around the body is needed to be understood. There are two sides of the heart, the right side and left side- each side consists of the atria and ventricle. Deoxygenated blood enters through the right atria and right ventricle where it is pumped to the lungs via the pulmonary artery. Here, the blood becomes oxygenated (which causes the red colour) and enters the left side of the heart where it's pumped through the aorta to the rest of the body- with this mechanism known the requirements of an artificial heart could be matched. As the blood is pumped around the body, the heart contracts each time which forces the blood to the required destination. The Syncardia system is an artificial heart mechanism which is designed so it fulfils the, previously mentioned, function of the heart. The core of the system is a pump which has to be carried externally. Moreover, there are tubes which connect the heart to the pump and the pump pummels air into artificial ventricles. Subsequently, there are other designs of artificial hearts such as the AbioCor system which involves the use of a hydraulic pump as well as power supplies. In addition, these technological based entities provide an option for individuals requiring urgent medical aid due to heart issues.

Gene editing

Recently, many excited scientist got the go ahead for the intriguing prospect of gene editing. This fascinating idea will be used to edit a faulty gene within a cell. Moreover, the possibility of actually replacing the gene with a healthy one is something which scientists believe could work. A scissor-like entity called "TALENs" will be used to cut out genes however this technology is not ready for use in people yet so it will be illegal to implant the modified embryo into a woman. Furthermore, this is the first time a research project related to DNA altering was been given the go ahead. Of course, if the gene editing works out then there will be plenty of positives as many diseases which are caused by single genes could be cured. However, the process would not be as easy as just cutting and pasting a gene but requires many complex processes which could put individuals at risk. Not to mention the high possibility of damaging existing, non-problematic, genes. On the other hand, scientists are confident with their TALEN product in finding the correct gene to toggle with- this product is made from a protein found in plant. Additionally, this protein is called "TAL" can locate a broken gene in pursuit of the gene being cut out. Although gene editing could cure many diseases, individuals still debate the ethical issues surrounding this topic...but what is certain is that this medical innovation has a lot of potential.

Thanks for reading this week's blog on the greatest medical innovations, have your say on what you feel has been the most significant medical advancement in the comments below.

Written by Adil Rahman


Sources:
 http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
 http://genetics.thetech.org/editing-our-dna-molecular-scissors
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35459054


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