GMO embryos - yes or no?

A meeting at the FDA on experiments to create GMO humans has brought disturbing information to light. Action Alert!

Today, the US Food and Drug Administration held day one of a public meeting outlining the creation of genetically modified humans. These experiments won’t take place in the distant future. In fact, GMO embryos have already been created via in vitro experiments.

Specifically, the FDA is discussing the genetic manipulation of human eggs and embryos in order to prevent inherited mitochondrial disease and treat infertility. The GMO techniques under consideration include manipulation at the mitochondrial level to replace or augment mutant rDNA and methods that could create babies with three parents.

While the FDA has stated that the agency “recognizes” that there are “ethical and social policy issues” to be considered—and despite the fact that forty-four countries have already banned this kind of genetic manipulation—the FDA won’t bother to discuss if human clinical trials should take place (that’s considered to be “outside the scope” of the meeting). Instead, they’ll outline how such trials should be conducted.

Meeting participants will deliberate on what animal and in vitro studies (experiments that take place outside of a living organism) will be necessary before human experimentation, as well as the potential risks for study participants and “any children that result from such studies.”

For now, the desired genetic outcomes discussed will be limited to the prevention of inherited mitochondrial diseases (e.g., LHON) or infertility due to abnormalities in the quality and quantity of mitochondria in female eggs—though there is no scientific consensus on how important mitochondrial factors are to female infertility.

A bit of background on why mitochondria are the focus here: mitochondria are your cells’ “powerhouses” that, among other things, generate the energy (ATP) you need to survive. Mitochondria have their own DNA—called mtDNA—that is more prone to mutation than nucleic DNA. In fact, it is the accumulation of mitochondrial mutations that can contribute to aging, cancer, and metabolic diseases.
more: http://www.anh-usa.org/gmo-human-embryos-have-already-been-created/#.Uw4cDdtgpiE.facebook