Consider the following statements:Genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs o

Question

Consider the following statements:Genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs or sperms of a prospective parent.A person's genome can be edited before birth at the early embryonic stage.Human induced pluripotent stem cells can be injected into the embryo of a pig.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Germline gene therapy targets the reproductive cells, meaning any changes made to the DNA will be passed on to the next generation. Consequently, the practice has dramatically divided opinion. Germline gene therapy is when DNA is transferred into the cells that produce reproductive cells, eggs or sperm, in the body. Hence statement 1 is correct.Although germline gene therapy is illegal, embryonic genetic editing is different from that and is possible to make genome changes to eliminate the vertical transfer (through inheritance) of certain diseases and medical conditions. Hence statement 2 is correct.Human-animal chimeras are animals bearing human cells and organs. They offer insights into early human development and disease onset and provide a realistic drug-testing platform. Researchers have experimented by injecting several different forms of human stem cells into pig embryos to see which cell-type would survive best. The cells that survived longest and showed the most potential to continue to develop were intermediate human pluripotent stem cells. Hence statement 3 is correct.