Gene editing of pets: The ethical dilemma!
The RSPCA Royal Society for the Protection of Animals in the United Kingdom has warned that pets could be subjected to gene editing under a new government act, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 1 . The act applies to all vertebrate animals, not only farmed animals, and it could lead to cats and dogs being gene-edited to include extreme features 2 . Gene editing means alteration of the genetic material of a living organism by inserting, replacing, or deleting a DNA sequence, typically with the aim of improving some characteristic of a crop or farm animal or correcting a genetic disorder 3 . Gene editing is performed using enzymes that have been engineered to target a specific DNA sequence, where they introduce cuts into the DNA strands, enabling the removal of existing DNA and the insertion of replacement DNA 4 . The most popular enzyme used for gene editing is CRISPR-Cas9 4 . Gene editing laws vary by country. In Europe, gene-edited plants and anima...