s.
>>> A POSSIBLE MEDICAL
BREAKTHROUGH NO NOT EVERYONE
AGREE WITH.
>>> FIRST NORTHWESTERN ATTEMPT
AT CREATING UM EMOBRINGIOS IN
THE U.S. COULD PAIFS THE WAY FOR
SO CALLED DESIGNER BABIES.
JOINING US, UF HEALTH, AND I
KNOW SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT AGREE
WITH IT, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT,
THIS IS NOT A DESIGNER BABY AS
IN COLORED EYES OR HAIR OR SEX,
IT IS FOR GENETIC DISORDERS.
>> IT IS GEARED TOWARDS THIS
TECHNOLOGY FOR COUPLES WHO HAVE
A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR A FAMILY
HISTORY OF HAVING A SPECIFIC
TYPE OF GENE THAT CAUSES BIRTH
DEFECT.
NOW WE MOSTLY TEST FOR THESE
THINGS ONCE BABIES ARE BORN OR
ONCE THE COUPLE TRIES TO
CONCEIVE WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY
YOU'LL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE
COUPLE THAT HAS THE PROBLEM,
SWAP OUT THE BAD GENE FOR A GOOD
GENE EARLY ON IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE EMBRYO AND IMPLANT IT SO
THAT WAY THE BABY WILL NOTT HAVE
THAT GENETIC DISORDER.
>>> IS THERE ANY RICK FOR MOM
AND BABY WHEN THAT PROCEDURE
HAPPEN?
>>> NO, IVF IS SAFE AND MOVED
MORE TOWARDS TRYING TO SCREEN
COUPLES AND FAMILIES PRIOR TO
THE NORMAL IVF PROCESS.
THIS TECHNOLOGY IS SEVERAL YEARS
AWAY FROM BEING ABLE TO BE USED
IN HUMANS AND ALSO IMPLANT
BABIES BACK INTO MOMS, BUT, THE
ADVANCE DEFINITELY ALLOWS US TO
LOOK INTO WHERE WE COME FROM
FROM OUR GENES AND BEING ABLE TO
SWAP THOSE OUT.
>>> WHO WOULD BE THE BEST
CANDIDATE.
>>> I SAW SOMEONE THE OTHER DAY
WHO HAS A GENETIC DISORDER AND
WAS CONTEMPLATING WHETHER TO
HAVE CHILDREN, BECAUSE OF THE
HIGH RISK OF PASSING THOSE GENES
ON AND BEING ABLE TO CORRECT
THAT GENETIC PROBLEM.
>>> WHO SHOULD UNDERGO GENETIC
TESTING IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I KNOW THEY TELL PEOPLE WHO ARE
ADOPTED AND DON'T KNOW THEIR
BIOLOGICAL FAMILY HISTORY, BUT
SHOULD EVERYONE UNDERGO THAT?
>>> ALL MOMS PREGNANT WE OFFER
CERTAIN TYPES OF GENETIC TESTING
AND THOSE ARE USUALLY ONES THAT
COULD BE INHERITED BUT HAPPEN
THROUGH BIRTH.
THESE PEOPLE WHO USUALLY WILL
HAVE A KNOWN FAMILY HISTORY,
SUCH AS CONGENITAL DEAFNESS,
HEART DEFECTS ARE TWO OF THE
MOST COMMON.
>>> WOULD IT BE FOR I MEAN
SOMETHING AS I HATE TO SAY
LITTLE BUT THERE IS A SPECTRUM
SOMETHING LIKE AUTISM E, IS THAT
NOT SOMETHING WE COULD
MANIPULATE.
>>> PROBABLY NOW NOT.
THE TARGET OF THIS RESEARCH WAS
SPECIFIC GENES.
SPECIFIC CODE LIKE THE CODE YOU
PUT IN YOUR GARAGE DOOR TO OPEN.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A
SPECIFIC GENETIC DISORDER AND
SOMETHING REVERSIBLE FROM A GENE
DORD.
SOMETHING HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF
DIFFERENT THINGS, GENES ALL OVER
THE PLACE MIGHT BE INVOLVED.
THIS IS MUCH MORE TARGETED
TOWARDS A SMALL AREA IN THE GENE
NOME ASK NEEDS TOW BE SWAPPED
OUT THAT DOESN'T CAUSE A GENETIC
DISORDER.
>>> WHAT IS LEFT AT THIS POINT?
WHAT IS NEXT TO MAKE THIS
SOMETHING WE START SEEING IN
HUMAN?
>> PROBABLY THREE THING, ONE IS
RESEARCH STILL HAS TO CONTINUE
TO SEE WHAT OTHER DISORDERS
COULD BE POSSIBLY INVOLVED.
THE SECOND WOULD BE MAKING SURE
THAT IT IS SAFE.
AND BRINGING IT ACTUALLY TO
CLINICAL TRIALS AND FROM THE
LITERATURE, PROBABLY 5 TO 7
YEARS AWAY FROM THAT AND THE
ETHICAL ISSUES WITH
EXPERIMENTATION AND FORTUNATELY,
REGULATION WILL HELP WITH THAT
IF IT EVER DOES ACTUALLY COME TO
FRUITION, THE FEDERAL DRUG
ADMINISTRATION WILL BE THE
PEOPLE WHO REGULATE IT.
>> HEAVILY REGULATED FOR SURE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON
AND GIVING US INFORMATION THAT
IS DEFINITELY INTERESTING.
AND WE'LL SEE WHAT COMES OF IT.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE MORE ON THE
MORNING SHOW PAGE ON THE
SEGMENT.
IF YOU WANT TO SHARE IT E, YOU