Ethics
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Is triple DNA helix possible?
31/05/2023Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
Can a triple helix DNA exist in biology besides in our imagination of alien creatures? We delve into the concept of how such structures could be formed and how they could be advantageous.
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Mitochondrial donation - rescuing maternal-only DNA
22/06/2022Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek and Dr.R.Della-Bosca
Mitochondrial donation is an emerging reproductive technology applicable to women who suffer from mitochondrial disease. In this blog, we firstly summarize what mitochondrial donation is and how it is being regulated. Secondly, we explore ethical issues that arise beyond the scope of traditional artificial reproductive technologies as a result of the unique features of mitochondrial donation.
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Mandate exemptions doctors’ guide
23/01/2022Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
There is a small unvaccinated minority of people who already have to contend with certain added health difficulties on account of their existing health problems. Here we propose some exemption criteria that should be strongly considered in specific situations expressed to doctors by patients expressing their understandable fear of the risks of accidentally worsening their already existing disabilities by unusual vaccine adverse event.
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Genetics of cheating
07/02/2021Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
For the past couple of years, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, Merogenomics has posted articles dedicated to the genetics that concern romantic relationships. We started the trend with the genetics of sexuality, then last year we moved to the genetics of love, and we wanted to play a “dirty” joke by completing the trinity of relational aspects with a topic dedicated to… the genetics of cheating!
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COVID-19 PCR tests – are we over-testing or under-testing? Who is right?
06/12/2020Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
There is a massive public debate going on about the COVID-19 pandemic threat. Wherever you might stand on the spectrum of this debate - whether you decry anytime someone dares to step outside into the fresh air, or you belittle the existence of this infection as nothing more significant than a bad flu – there is one argument used by either side that gets a lot of collateral damage: the use of PCR tests to diagnose the infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So where do we really stand on these PCR tests? Which side might be right and which side is wrong? Let's look at the science behind these PCR tests! You just might be surprised by what you find out.
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Fake viruses? SARS-CoV-2 origins conspiracy theories Part 3
21/10/2020Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
The last two blog posts we have dedicated to going over a controversial, non-peer reviewed online report outlining reasons why the SARS-CoV-2 virus could not have been of natural origin. The authors promised to follow up that initial report with further proof of why a number of published coronavirus genomes from different animals are fake. We were really curious what kind of evidence they would propose to build their case to claim an academic fraud of such massive proportion, and this is what this post is about.
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Variants of Unknown Significance (VUS) – doctors beware!
26/07/2020Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
We start with the story of a cancer survivor who just recently completed an advanced DNA/RNA sequencing combo test for cancer predisposition; it was not only the very first time this test was used in Canada, it was the first time it was used anywhere in the world outside of US. This test is so new that we were a little bit jealous that the patient would end up seeing the DNA testing kit even before Merogenomics had the chance to analyze one!
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Genetic editing legacy – update on the first designer babies
31/12/2019Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
The creator of first live-birth designer babies was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday. It has been just over a year since the news of the world’s first genetically designed babies was announced in China. A young, very well-connected and aspiring scientist who was not only interested in the accepted genetic editing methods but was also seemingly hiding a secret - that he had produced the first genetically engineered embryos used to give birth to live children! It shocked the world and then condemnations swiftly followed. We explore was done wrong.
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DNA data security
30/11/2019Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
When it comes to assessing personal DNA (whether for medical or entertainment purposes), the most common worry people appear to have is the lack of privacy protection around such personal information. DNA data can provide a wealth of information about an individual including the ability to discover the identity of an individual thanks to the public’s massive, indiscriminate, voluntary sharing of their DNA data. The ultimate goal is to control access to an individual’s genetic information and prevent unauthorized access in any way, by anyone! Read on to find out how DNA data might be abused and how it should be protected.
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Will humans alter our species?
29/09/2019Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
Not long ago the full genome of a humpback whale was decoded. The decoding of the humpback whale DNA was significant - it provided some clues on why whales have extraordinarily low rates of cancer. The big question that comes to mind is, can we use this understanding to our advantage? Could we use what we learn from nature to purposefully alter our own genomes to enhance our health?
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Can anti-aging be programmed?
11/04/2019Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
The maximum lifespan of a given species, along with its particular aging process, is believed to be rooted in genetics. With the introduction of technologies that allow for the decoding of entire human genomes, it is no surprise that anti-aging research is currently exploding. If aging is built-in into our DNA program, then without a doubt the most controversial approach to anti-aging would be to remove the program from our DNA. Is that even feasible?
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Birth of first genetically edited babies
30/11/2018Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
When it comes to the news in genetics, very few blockbuster headlines come out that can be compared to the degree of what was announced this week from China: researchers declared the birth of the first human baby that was genetically modified prior to birth. We are ushering in the era of designer babies. It was not that long ago that we discussed this topic as a too distant possibility to merit serious discussion. Indeed, not that long ago it was not. It is incredible that in a mere few years, China has made such leaps in the use of genome editing technologies to start experiments on human subjects.
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Is there a justifiable need for diseases to exist?
29/04/2018Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
If mutagenesis is required for the survival of the species, and diseases that are found in the population arise due to such mutagenic events, then could disease prevalence in the population be a sign of a species’ ability to adapt to a changing world? For the survival of a species, a certain threshold level of mutagenesis is needed. Beyond this threshold, if mutagenesis were to be too frequent, the resulting level of diseases could endanger the species by overwhelming its capacity to successfully thrive and reproduce. If the mutagenesis level is far below such a threshold, then it endangers the survival of the species by leading to species DNA that is not versatile. The lack of such versatility could expose the species to rapid eradication because not enough members would be adapted to a completely new environment in order to ensure its ability to thrive. Think of dinosaurs. Or any currently endangered species that has a very low number of individuals. A simple virus infection could wipe such a species out of existence at this point.
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Are you the type of person who would hunt for rare treasure?
28/02/2018Posted by:T.Browning and Dr.M.Raszek
What makes a person rare? By our definition, it is a limited quantity of people, who are deemed unusually good. A rare person is someone different than the “typical” population. The rarest people then, would be those with a rare condition. Would we say they are unusually good? Are they held in high esteem? Do they receive a place of honor? I think you know the answer.
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Designer babies
26/11/2017Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
Too often when I introduce to people what I do and what my interests are, I am met with a reaction of fear that the net result of such work will be the modification of offspring to a desired specification, the so-called “designer babies”. I find it somewhat concerning that this is the type of thinking that people can relapse to on their first encounter with the overall concept of human genome sequencing. On the other hand, one has to respect the notion of fear displayed by the public regarding the concept of manipulation of human genomes for satisfaction of someone's aesthetic desires.
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Synthesising humans, a modern topic of debate?
27/07/2017Posted by:Dr.M.Raszek
One genome-related newstory that has stirred the public lately was last year’s announcement of a project to synthetically build a human genome. What do I mean by that? To build an entire human genome, the DNA code that makes each individual unique, with a machine base by base, chromosome by chromosome. You can imagine such information elicited quite a few gasps among the bewildered public.