4 ms·

Hopefully someday we can provide a sperm sample, and get back "Here's your entirely corrected gene-set with no mutations" or maybe even "and here's undoing 100

Hopefully someday we can provide a sperm sample, and get back "Here's your entirely corrected gene-set with no mutations" or maybe even "and here's undoing 100 mutations you got" for insemination

echelon 4y ago
Screening is possible, but what you've described - fixing all DNA errors - is not at all an easy problem. DNA can have an abundance of errors, epigenetic signals, etc. It has spatial packing and organization problems to overcome. Attempting the repairs themselves will each be bespoke mini problems that could introduce further disease states if the fix fails. My thinking is that by the time we have this technology as described, the world will have moved beyond humans. We're in a race. Will we advance 10x in molecular capabilities before we advance to AGI and beyond? I think not. Speaking as someone who was adopted, I also can't relate to the necessity of having a child borne of your own genes. There are lots of ways to increase value in this world, and solving this problem completely is an incredibly niche application of the limited time and talent we have. The necessary tech advances themselves are way more valuable than the problem described here.
- jasonfarnon 4y ago
  is there an objective standard for "error"s?
  - Daub 4y ago
    Good question. Errors are one part of what drives evolution. 'useful accidents'.
thatoneguy 4y ago
That's pretty much how it works now, at least with IVF, pre-implantation genetic testing and known mutations/deletions.
- tempestn 4y ago
  Currently they can and do screen for known mutations in IVF, but they don't correct them; they just filter out eggs that have them. Sperm can be tested, but I don't think it can be filtered.
  - runnerup 4y ago
    Indeed it makes sense that testing the DNA of a sperm cell would necessarily destroy it.
remarkEon 4y ago
They made a movie with this premise. It's a really good movie, but what's depicted in the film is not necessarily a world I'd like to live in.
- kristianp 4y ago
  Gattaca for those who haven't heard of it.

Hopefully someday we can provide a sperm sample, and get back "Here's your entirely corrected gene-set with no mutations" or maybe even "and here's undoing 100 mutations you got" for insemination

echelon 4y ago

Screening is possible, but what you've described - fixing all DNA errors - is not at all an easy problem. DNA can have an abundance of errors, epigenetic signals, etc. It has spatial packing and organization problems to overcome. Attempting the repairs themselves will each be bespoke mini problems that could introduce further disease states if the fix fails. My thinking is that by the time we have this technology as described, the world will have moved beyond humans. We're in a race. Will we advance 10x in molecular capabilities before we advance to AGI and beyond? I think not. Speaking as someone who was adopted, I also can't relate to the necessity of having a child borne of your own genes. There are lots of ways to increase value in this world, and solving this problem completely is an incredibly niche application of the limited time and talent we have. The necessary tech advances themselves are way more valuable than the problem described here.

jasonfarnon 4y ago
is there an objective standard for "error"s?
- Daub 4y ago
  Good question. Errors are one part of what drives evolution. 'useful accidents'.

thatoneguy 4y ago

That's pretty much how it works now, at least with IVF, pre-implantation genetic testing and known mutations/deletions.

tempestn 4y ago
Currently they can and do screen for known mutations in IVF, but they don't correct them; they just filter out eggs that have them. Sperm can be tested, but I don't think it can be filtered.
- runnerup 4y ago
  Indeed it makes sense that testing the DNA of a sperm cell would necessarily destroy it.

remarkEon 4y ago

They made a movie with this premise. It's a really good movie, but what's depicted in the film is not necessarily a world I'd like to live in.

kristianp 4y ago
Gattaca for those who haven't heard of it.