Oh no! Not again! Such must be the sentiments of stem cell scientists after a paper to be published in Nature cast cold water on landmark research about editing the genome of a human embryo.
On August 2, a team led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, of Oregon Health and Science University, announced in Nature that they had successfully deleted a disease-causing faulty gene and replaced it with a healthy copy using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique. Their innovative experiment introduced the CRISPR machinery earlier. When they examined the embryos, they found that they did not contain the faulty sequence.
This discovery was greeted around the world as a first step towards freeing mankind from genetic disorders or towards a eugenicist society, depending on your attitude towards modifying the human genome. Technically, it was a tour de force, as it was relatively easy and accurate and did not result in mosaic embryos.
With 10,000 harmful single-gene mutations known, there is a lot at stake.
However, a closer examination of the exciting paper has sparked a lot of debate amongst stem cell scientists. In a preprint release of a paper in Nature on bioRxiv, Dieter Egli, of Columbia University, and Maria Jasin, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, along with Harvard geneticist George Church, have questioned whether Mitalipovs team has actually succeeded, as the new technique contradicts the conventional wisdom about how fertilisation occurs. They point out that although the disease-causing gene had disappeared, there was no proof that the correct sequence had been inserted.
Furthermore, the DNA from the sperm and the egg are probably not close enough in the brief interval after fertilisation to interact or share genes. Mitalipov and his team had speculated that the embryos used the DNA of the egg as a guide to repair the mutation carried by the sperm.
In my view Egli et al. convincingly provided a series of compelling arguments explaining that the correction of the deleterious mutation by self repair is unlikely to have occurred, Gatan Burgio, a geneticist at the Australian National University told Nature News.
Mitalipov has responded, promising to answer the critiques point by point in the form of a formal peer-reviewed response in a matter of weeks.
Inevitably, this latest breakthrough recalls a string of too-good-to-be true-and too-amazing-to-reject articles about stem cell research. They were published in leading journals, hyped in the media and then crashed and burned. Time will tell whether Mitalipovs paper will be vindicated.
Go here to see the original:
Landmark stem cell paper questioned - BioEdge
- Anyone have objective data on the effectiveness of the ... - February 9th, 2019
- Learn Zone - VetCompass - Royal Veterinary College, RVC - February 9th, 2019
- Retinitis Pigmentosa - The Foundation Fighting Blindness - February 6th, 2019
- Everything You Need To Know About The Bionic Eye - The ... - February 6th, 2019
- Menstrual cycle - Wikipedia - February 2nd, 2019
- Barnesville.com - January 28th, 2019
- Cigarette lighter using rechargeable AA batteries ... - January 28th, 2019
- YNS Cosmeceutical Skincare - Top Skin Care Products - January 28th, 2019
- Best Bourbon. Rankings of Best Bourbon - Bourbon Reviews - January 28th, 2019
- Practical Statistics for Medical Research (Chapman & Hall ... - December 21st, 2018
- A Rare Side Effects of Stem Cell Therapy: A Case Study - October 11th, 2018
- Interstellar Trade - Atomic Rockets - October 11th, 2018
- Stem Cell Research | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity - September 29th, 2018
- Stem Cell Research | NWABR.ORG - September 29th, 2018
- Stem Cell Research Program Grants portal.ct.gov | Stem ... - September 29th, 2018
- What is Stem Cell Research? (with pictures) - wisegeek.com - August 23rd, 2018
- Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research - Popular Issues - June 21st, 2018
- Stem Cell Basics II. | stemcells.nih.gov - June 21st, 2018
- CReM Honored for Sharing Stem Cell Lines - BU Today - September 8th, 2017
- Researchers Turn Skin Cells into Motor Neurons Without Using Stem Cells - Futurism - September 8th, 2017
- Transformative technology: Encapsulated human cells to ... - Medical Xpress - September 8th, 2017
- Stem Cell Factor Tied to Reduced Risk of Cardiac Events, Death - Anti Aging News - September 8th, 2017
- Italian scientists welcome surprise 400 million boost for basic research - Science Magazine - September 8th, 2017
- This New, Cutting-Edge Treatment Could Be the End of Baldness - Reader's Digest - September 6th, 2017
- Zika Virus Could One Day Help Treat A Deadly Form Of Brain Cancer - HuffPost - September 6th, 2017
- Curved substrates restrict spreading and induce differentiation of stem cells - Phys.Org - September 6th, 2017
- UCSD Researchers Win $18 Million Grant to Fund B-Cell Cancers Clinical Trial - Times of San Diego - September 5th, 2017
- UNMC research traces glaucoma, often associated with aging, to earliest days of development - Omaha World-Herald - September 3rd, 2017
- Dr Con Man: the rise and fall of a celebrity scientist who fooled almost everyone - The Guardian - September 1st, 2017
- FDA Should Tread Carefully with Stem Cell Regulation - Pain News Network - September 1st, 2017
- Brainstorm Health: Hospitals and Harvey, VR Dementia Research, Stem Cell 'Bad Actors' - Fortune - August 30th, 2017
- Bone Marrow Protein May Be Target for Improving Stem Cell ... - Penn: Office of University Communications - August 30th, 2017
- RNA discoveries could improve stem cell research - Phys.Org - August 30th, 2017
- Stem cell research could double avo production - Fruitnet - August 25th, 2017
- Stem Cell Treatment for Children With Spina Bifida Helps Dogs First ... - UC Davis - August 25th, 2017
- Human stem cell defenses activated by irradiation, study finds - Phys.Org - August 25th, 2017
- For Immune System Stem Cell Studies, Mice Aren't Enough - Science 2.0 - August 23rd, 2017
- North Carolina Advances in Stem Cell Therapy for Lung Diseases Could Lead to Clinical Trial Soon - Lung Disease News - August 23rd, 2017
- Vitamin C Regulates Stem Cell Function - Technology Networks - August 23rd, 2017
- Belize Biochemist's Groundbreaking Stem Cell Research - Channel 7 Daily News - August 22nd, 2017
- Scientists discover vitamin C regulates stem cell function, curbs leukemia development - Medical Xpress - August 22nd, 2017
- Stem cell technique could reverse a major type of infertility - New Scientist - August 17th, 2017
- UCLA scientists identify a new way to activate stem cells to make hair grow - UCLA Newsroom - August 17th, 2017
- Deval Patrick's 10-year, $1B life sciences plan bears fruit in Mass. - The Recorder - August 17th, 2017
- Stem cell agency eyes survival options - Capitol Weekly - August 17th, 2017
- Blood cancer: High doses of vitamin C could encourage stem cells to die - Express.co.uk - August 17th, 2017
- High school student gets an early start in stem cell research at USC - USC News - August 2nd, 2017
- Hypothalamic Stem Cells Could Provide New Insights Into Aging - Futurism - August 1st, 2017
- Stem cell brain implants could 'slow ageing and extend life', study shows - The Guardian - July 30th, 2017
- Q&A: Regulating Stem Cell Therapy - MedPage Today - July 30th, 2017
- UCI stem cell therapy attacks cancer by targeting unique tissue stiffness - UCI News - July 30th, 2017
- Cancer stem cells target of new grant to UCSD scientists - The San Diego Union-Tribune - July 30th, 2017
- UCI researchers use stem cells as cancer-seeking missiles - 89.3 KPCC - July 30th, 2017
- New approach may kill tumor cells in the brain - Harvard Gazette - July 11th, 2017
- CReM Stem Cell Researcher Is Innovator of the Year - BU Today - July 11th, 2017
- Cesca Therapeutics subsidiary acquires assets of Sacramento's SynGen Inc. - Sacramento Bee - July 10th, 2017
- 'Stem-cell tourism' needs tighter controls, say medical experts - The ... - Washington Post - July 9th, 2017
- Consider risks of unapproved stem cell treatment - Kamloops This ... - Kamloops This Week - July 8th, 2017
- Colon Cancer-Driven Stem Cells Linked to High-Fat Diet - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - July 8th, 2017
- Photo-responsive protein hydrogels as agent for controlled stem cell/protein release - Phys.Org - July 7th, 2017
- Medical Experts Call for Tighter Controls on Stem Cell Tourism - Voice of America - July 5th, 2017
- These Scientists Have a Plan To Cheat Death. Will It Work? - NBCNews.com - July 5th, 2017
- Smelling your food makes you fat - UC Berkeley - July 5th, 2017
- Defining the Future of the Stem Cell Industry - Interviews with Stem Cell Industry Executives - Research and Markets - Business Wire (press release) - July 4th, 2017
- Greater understanding of plant hormone results in stem cells that grow shoots - Phys.Org - July 4th, 2017
- Stem Cell Assay Market Driven by Rising Diversity of Applications - TMR Research Blog (press release) (blog) - July 3rd, 2017
- TissueGene awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa clinical study - BSA bureau (press release) - July 3rd, 2017
- Regenerative medicine helps achy pets - WFLA - July 3rd, 2017
- 3D Bone-Like Tissues Grown From Stem Cells - Asian Scientist Magazine - July 3rd, 2017
- Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes - Medical News Bulletin - July 3rd, 2017
- TissueGene Awarded $750000 Maryland Stem Cell Grant for Invossa Clinical Study - PR Newswire (press release) - June 30th, 2017
- New Texas Law on Stem Cell Treatments: Showdown With FDA Coming? - Regulatory Focus - June 30th, 2017
- Stem cell agency faces leadership challenge - Capitol Weekly - June 28th, 2017
- Existing Drug Found to be Effective at Killing Cancer Stem Cells - Technology Networks - June 26th, 2017
- Scientist-backed PAC endorses Dana Rohrabacher's challenger - Salon - June 26th, 2017
- Large-scale production of living brain cells enables entirely new research - Medical Xpress - June 26th, 2017
- After two stem cell transplants and several rounds of chemo, 'now he's just like a normal 2-year-old' - GoDanRiver.com - June 25th, 2017
- Scientists Take New Approach to Fighting Type 1 Diabetes - Wall Street Journal (subscription) - June 25th, 2017
- Stem cells: the future of medicine - Medical Xpress - June 24th, 2017
- Clear View on Stem Cell Development - Technology Networks - June 24th, 2017