When Adam Nash was still an embryo, living in a dish in the lab, scientists tested his DNA to make sure it was free of Fanconi anemia, the rare inherited blood disease from which his sister Molly suffered. They also checked his DNA for a marker that would reveal whether he shared the same tissue type. Molly needed a donor match for stem cell therapy, and her parents were determined to find one. Adam was conceived so the stem cells in his umbilical cord could be the lifesaving treatment for his sister.
Adam Nash is considered to be the first designer baby, born in 2000 using in vitro fertilizaton with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, a technique used to choose desired characteristics. The media covered the story with empathy for the parents’ motives but not without reminding the reader that “eye color, athletic ability, beauty, intelligence, height, stopping a propensity towards obesity, guaranteeing freedom from certain mental and physical illnesses, all of these could in the future be available to parents deciding to have a designer baby.”
The designer babies have thus been called the “future-we-should-not-want” for each new reproductive technology or intervention. But the babies never came and are nowhere close. I am not surprised.
I study the prediction of complex diseases and human traits that result from interactions between multiple genes and lifestyle factors. This research shows that geneticists cannot read the genetic code and know who will be above average in intelligence and athleticism. Such traits and diseases that result from multiple genes and lifestyle factors cannot be predicted using just DNA, and cannot be designed. Not now. And very unlikely ever.
Designer babies are next
The inevitable rise of designer babies was proclaimed in 1978 after the birth of Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, as the next step toward “a brave world where parents can select their child’s gender and traits.” The same situation occurred in 1994 when a 59-year-old British woman stretched the limits of nature by giving birth to twins using donated eggs that were implanted in her womb at a fertility clinic in Italy.
The response was the same in 1999, when a fertility clinic in Fairfax, Virginia, offered sex selection of embryos to screen against diseases that only happen in boys. In 2013, when 23andMe was granted a patent for a tool that predicts the likelihood of traits in babies based on DNA of two parents, the question of patenting designer babies was raised. In 2016, when the U.K. permitted a woman to donate her healthy mitochondria to a couple using IVF to conceive a child, raising the number of parents to three, fears of unnatural children rose again. Last month, when Genomic Prediction, a New Jersey company, announced its DNA screening panel for embryos would also assess the risk for complex diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease that are caused by multiple genes, fears of engineering babies with high IQ or athletic prowess emerged.
The same issues arose on Nov. 26 when He Jiankui reported at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong that he had successfully edited the DNA of twin baby girls born last month.
The designer baby doom scenarios have not evolved with the technology. It’s been the same story for decades. It’s the same “desirable” traits and the same assumption that parents want to select these traits if technology allowed. But no one seems to be questioning whether these traits are solely a product of our genes such that they can be selected or edited in embryos.
Wondering about designer babies was understandable in the early days, but repetition of these supposed fears now suggests lack of understanding of how DNA, and the genes they encode, work.
Designing favorable traits in babies is not simple
Although there are exceptions, DNA generally differs between people in two ways: There are DNA mutations and DNA variations.
Mutations cause rare diseases like Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis, which are caused by a single gene. Mutations in the BRCA genes substantially increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Selecting embryos that do not have these mutations removes the entire or main cause of disease – women who don’t have BRCA mutations can still develop breast cancer through other causes, like all women.
Variations are changes in the genetic code that are more common than mutations and associated with common traits and diseases. DNA variants increase the likelihood that you may have a trait or develop a disease but do not determine or cause it. Association means that in several large study populations, a DNA variant was more frequent among people with the trait than those without, often only slightly more frequent.
These variants don’t determine a trait, but increase its likelihood by interacting with other DNA variants and nongenetic influences such as upbringing, lifestyle and environment. To design such traits in embryos would require multiple DNA changes in multiple genes and orchestrating or controlling relevant environment and lifestyle influences too.
Let’s compare it to driving a car. DNA mutations are like the flat tires and the failing brakes: technical problems that make driving problematic, no matter where you drive. DNA variations are like the color and the type of car, or other features of the car that may affect the driving experience and even might create problems over time. For example, a convertible is a delight when driving on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard on a breezy summer evening, but cruel when crossing a high mountain pass in midwinter. Whether features of the car are an asset or a liability depends on the context and that context might change — they are never ideal all the time.
Another hurdle
Most DNA mutations do nothing else other than cause the disease, but DNA variations may play a role in many diseases and traits. Take variations in the MC1R “red hair” gene, which not only increases the chance that your child will have red hair, but also increases their risk of skin cancer. Or variations in the OCA2 and HERC2 “eye color” genes that are also associated with the risk of various cancers, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. To be sure, these are statistical associations, reported in the scientific literature, some may be confirmed; others may not. But the message is clear: Editing DNA variations for “desirable” traits may have adverse consequences, including many that scientists don’t know about yet.
We can see this in the analysis of He Jiankui’s gene-edited babies. By trying to make the babies resistant to HIV, He might have greatly increased susceptibility to infections by West Nile virus or influenza.
To be sure, even though complex traits such as intelligence, athletics and musicality cannot be selected or designed, there will be opportunists who will try to offer these traits, even if totally premature and unsupported by science. Like Stephen Hsu, the co-founder of Genomic Prediction who said about his offer to test embryos for polygenic risk, the risk of a disease based on multiple genes, “I think people are going to demand that. If we don’t do it, some other company will.” And also He said: “There will be someone, somewhere, who is doing this. If it’s not me, it’s someone else.” People need to be protected against this irresponsible and unethical use of DNA testing and editing.
Science brought incredible progress in reproductive technology, but didn’t bring designer babies one step closer. The creation of designer babies is not limited by technology, but by biology: The origins of common traits and diseases are too complex and intertwined to modify the DNA without introducing unwanted effects.
FAQs
Are designer babies possible right now? ›
Designer babies could be just two years away, a new research paper has found. Genetically-modified babies are “highly desirable” to help protect people from disease and could be created ethically within two years, according to a new scientific paper.
What is the success rate of designer babies? ›Success rates are incredibly low; on average, less than 10% of embryos survive to birth and a smaller percentage of those born survive to adulthood. Clones are created at a great cost to animals.
How do people feel about designer babies? ›Ordinary Americans seem to agree: 65 percent think altering “the genes of unborn babies” to reduce the risk of certain serious diseases should be illegal. Only 26 percent said it should be legal.
What is the issue with designer babies? ›Genetic engineering is likely to heighten parental expectations. If parents don't get the child of their choice – if the qualities they selected do not materialise or if the child fails to make use of them – their disappointment could lead to denigration or rejection.
When was Lulu and Nana born? ›Compelled by the situation, He immediately announced the birth of genome-edited babies in a series of five YouTube videos the same day. The first babies, known by their pseudonyms Lulu (Chinese: 露露) and Nana (娜娜), are twin girls born in October 2018, and the second birth or the third baby born was in 2019.
Who is the first designer baby? ›It's been 20 years since the first designer baby was born to the Nash family from Denver, Colorado, but the news is still a miracle to many. Adam Nash was conceived for his stem cells from the umbilical cord, which was later used for the life-saving treatment for his sister suffering from Fanconi's Anemia.
How do designer babies benefit our society? ›Advantages of Designer Babies
The ability to screen embryos for particular defects provides a new source of hope for parents who are carriers of fatal genetic defects. One such defect includes Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease that is often fatal by age 60.
However, germline editing, which Lulu and Nana received, involves editing heritable DNA found in sperm, eggs and embryos. Overt ethical concerns are raised by the possibility of permanent changes that edited people will carry and pass on to their children and their children's children.
How do you prevent designer babies? ›The two main procedures that can help prevent offspring of having a genetic defect is by IVF, In Vitro Fertilization, or PGD, Preimplantation Genetic Disorder.
What are the dangers of gene editing? ›Genome editing is a powerful, scientific technology that can reshape medical treatments and people's lives, but it can also harmfully reduce human diversity and increase social inequality by editing out the kinds of people that medical science, and the society it has shaped, categorize as diseased or genetically ...
What happened to the Chinese gene-edited babies? ›
The daring Chinese biophysicist who created the world's first gene-edited children has been set free after three years in a Chinese prison.
Are IVF babies smart? ›The outcomes showed that the typical IQ of Babies conceived with fertility remedy was on average 112, whereas the children conceived naturally had on average an IQ of 107. For a similar causes ICSI seemingly does not have any influence on lower IQs it likely just isn't the trigger for larger IQs.
What does the term designer baby mean? ›A designer baby is a baby genetically engineered in vitro for specially selected traits, which can vary from lowered disease-risk to gender selection. Before the advent of genetic engineering and in vitro fertilization (IVF), designer babies were primarily a science fiction concept.
Who invented designer babies? ›BEIJING — A court in China on Monday sentenced He Jiankui, the researcher who shocked the global scientific community when he claimed that he had created the world's first genetically edited babies, to three years in prison for carrying out “illegal medical practices.”
How was Lulu and Nana born? ›25, 2018) that a researcher in China had genetically altered a gene in a human embryo that resulted in 2 babies, Lulu and Nana. Apparently, the twins carry the disabled CCR5 gene that may provide them with protection against HIV infection. They are now test subjects.
What happened to Lulu and Nana CRISPR babies? ›It turns out that the babies involved, Lulu and Nana, have not been gifted with neatly edited genes after all. Not only are they not necessarily immune to HIV, they have been accidentally endowed with versions of CCR5 that are entirely made up – they likely do not exist in any other human genome on the planet.
What happened to the first gene edited babies? ›A Chinese court has sentenced He Jiankui, the biophysicist who announced that he had created the world's first gene-edited babies, to three years in prison for “illegal medical practice”, and handed down shorter sentences to two colleagues who assisted him.
What year was first designer baby? ›Adam Nash is considered to be the first designer baby, born in 2000 using in vitro fertilizaton with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, a technique used to choose desired characteristics.
Can you choose your child's eye color? ›It is important to understand that parents do not have to personally have the eye color they are seeking. They must only carry the genetic codes for that eye color that can be passed on to their child. Clearly, not every person who personally has green eyes has both or even one parent with green eyes.
Can you change DNA after birth? ›Structural changes can occur during the formation of egg or sperm cells, in early fetal development, or in any cell after birth. Pieces of DNA can be rearranged within one chromosome or transferred between two or more chromosomes.
What is it called when you choose the genes of your baby? ›
The phrase “designer babies” refers to genetic interventions into pre-implantation embryos in the attempt to influence the traits the resulting children will have.
What are designer babies and how are they created? ›The term “designer baby” refers to a child who would develop from an embryo or sperm or egg that had been genetically altered. The changes would affect every cell in that child's body, and be passed to all their children and their children's children. This process has become known as heritable genome editing.
Can you choose traits with IVF? ›As of right now, there is no way to identify cosmetic traits like the potential height, weight, hair, or eye color of an embryo—Silverberg said most people choose PGT to screen for genetic diseases.
How can designer babies damage the gene pool? ›Perhaps even more frightening, according to NPR, “Making changes to the DNA in human embryos could accidentally introduce an error into the human gene pool, inadvertently creating a new disease that would be passed down for generations” (NPR).
Do IVF babies look like their parents? ›Because a donor egg won't share any of its genes with its intended mother, there's a chance the baby will not resemble its mother. However, if her partner's sperm was used, the baby may look like its father because they share the same genetics.
Can you create a baby in a lab? ›In vitro fertilization, better known as IVF is an assisted reproductive technology in which fertilization takes place in the lab instead of inside the body.
Why you should not choose your child's genetics? ›Parents should not be able to choose from a menu of preferred traits for their children. This could hinder children from carrying unique genes and could thus eventually reduce genetic variation which is necessary for the human species to continue and live when environmental changes suddenly take place.
How far away is gene editing? ›“Within 30 years, it will probably be possible to make essentially any kind of change to any kind of genome,” says Jennifer Doudna, PhD, a professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology at UC Berkeley.
Who are the CRISPR babies? ›These three children are the first genetically engineered humans in history. Known publicly only by these pseudonyms, as embryos their genomes were edited using CRISPR technology by scientist He Jiankui in an effort to prevent them contracting HIV from their fathers.
How does gene editing affect human? ›Gene Therapy: Changing genomes to treat disease
Gene therapy , or somatic gene editing, changes the DNA in cells of an adult or child to treat disease, or even to try to enhance that person in some way. The changes made in these somatic (or body) cells would be permanent but would only affect the person treated.
Are CRISPR babies legal? ›
It is not legal in the US. The FDA takes the position, which I think courts would most likely uphold, that genetically altered human embryos are either drugs or biological products (or both) and so under its jurisdiction. It is illegal—a federal crime—to distribute a new drug without FDA approval.
What happened to Chinese CRISPR babies? ›The experiments resulted in the birth of twins, and a third baby the following year, prompting international condemnation over He's premature and risky use of gene-editing in embryos destined for implantation.
Why are scientists so upset about the first CRISPR babies? ›Only because a rogue researcher defied myriad scientific and ethical norms and guidelines.
How old is the oldest IVF baby? ›Louise Joy Brown (born 25 July 1978) is an English woman who was the first human to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilisation experiment (IVF). Her birth, following a procedure pioneered in Britain, has been lauded among "the most remarkable medical breakthroughs of the 20th Century".
Are IVF kids smarter than normal kids? ›How intelligent are IVF children? A recent Danish study* examining the academic performance in children conceived by assisted reproductive techniques (ART) confirmed that ART-born children are just as intelligent as their spontaneously conceived peers – not super kids, but certainly not worse off.
Do IVF babies have a soul? ›Yes it does. The soul is the coming together of the physical body and the spirit. So regardless of how they come together, whether through IVF or naturally conceived the baby becomes a soul.
What do Christians believe about genetic engineering? ›Using genetic manipulation to develop means of warfare is a direct affront to Christian values of peace and life. It is morally unacceptable to abuse God's creation by changing life-forms into weapons of destruction (Rev. 11:18).
Are designer babies legal? ›In many countries, editing embryos and germline modification for reproductive use is illegal. As of 2017, the U.S. restricts the use of germline modification and the procedure is under heavy regulation by the FDA and NIH.
Is designer babies a real thing? ›However, the rapid advancement of gene-editing technology makes designer babies an increasingly real possibility. The birth of Adam Nash in 2000 following in vitro fertilization (IVF) and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is considered to be the first reported case of designer baby.
Are designer babies legal in China? ›Article 13 of the ART Measures provides that performing ART in China must abide by the Technical Standards of the Assistant Human Reproductive Technology, the latter specifically prohibit any genetic manipulation of human embryos for reproductive purposes (§3(9)).
Can you genetically engineer a baby? ›
Genetically altered embryos can be achieved by introducing the desired genetic material into the embryo itself, or into the sperm and/or egg cells of the parents; either by delivering the desired genes directly into the cell or using the gene-editing technology.
Who are the CRISPR babies? ›These three children are the first genetically engineered humans in history. Known publicly only by these pseudonyms, as embryos their genomes were edited using CRISPR technology by scientist He Jiankui in an effort to prevent them contracting HIV from their fathers.
How can designer babies increase lifespan? ›It increases human lifespan. Editing out an unborn baby's defective genes and only retaining the healthy genes the baby will grow up healthier. Therefore, it is possible to increase the baby's overall life expectancy and quality of its life.
What's possible with gene-editing? ›CRISPR has many possible uses, including insert a new gene so the organism produces useful medicines; help treat genetic diseases; create tailor-made organisms to study human diseases; and help produce replacements for damaged or diseased tissues and organs.
What happened to the Chinese gene edited babies? ›The daring Chinese biophysicist who created the world's first gene-edited children has been set free after three years in a Chinese prison.
Can you choose your child's eye color? ›It is important to understand that parents do not have to personally have the eye color they are seeking. They must only carry the genetic codes for that eye color that can be passed on to their child. Clearly, not every person who personally has green eyes has both or even one parent with green eyes.
Are CRISPR babies legal? ›It is not legal in the US. The FDA takes the position, which I think courts would most likely uphold, that genetically altered human embryos are either drugs or biological products (or both) and so under its jurisdiction. It is illegal—a federal crime—to distribute a new drug without FDA approval.
Has a CRISPR baby been born? ›We don't know its sex, its health status, whether the birth involved any complications - or if the baby is even still alive. But we do know this baby was born, meaning that at some point last year, there were not two, but three genetically engineered humans walking - or, more likely, crawling - the Earth.
Who was the first CRISPR baby? ›It has been nearly 2 years since He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher and ex-professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, created the first germline edited babies.
Are designer babies healthier? ›When using the genetic modification technology to create a designer baby, the chances of genetic disorders can be reduced. For instance, it does not only decrease a baby's chances of being affected by certain health conditions but increases a baby's chances of survival as well.
What would be the negative effect of gene therapy? ›
This technique presents the following risks: Unwanted immune system reaction. Your body's immune system may see the newly introduced viruses as intruders and attack them. This may cause inflammation and, in severe cases, organ failure.
Can gene therapy extend life? ›We report CMV being used successfully as both an intranasal and injectable gene therapy system to extend longevity. Specifically, this treatment significantly improved glucose tolerance, physical performance, as well as preventing body mass loss and alopecia.
What happens if your DNA is altered? ›It is well established that changes in genes can alter a protein's function in the body, potentially causing health problems. Scientists have determined that changes in regions of DNA that do not contain genes (noncoding DNA) can also lead to disease.
Can you change your DNA after birth? ›Can your DNA be altered after birth? Mostly no. Some people are born with gene defects that can lead to health issues. For example, there are some gene defects that can make a person more likely to get cancer.
Can you edit human DNA? ›Human genome editing technologies can be used on somatic cells (non-heritable), germline cells (not for reproduction) and germline cells (for reproduction). Application of somatic human genome editing has already been undertaken, including in vivo editing, to address HIV and sickle-cell disease, for example.