Re:Jailed baby gene scientist ‘should be made responsible’ f...
by PragmaticPulp on Saturday March 19, 2022 @06:18PM
(#30738052)
> I wonder also why there is a deactivated gene that prevents HIV infection... did we have this ability for a long time but it fell out of use and was selected off?
It’s a gene for a specific receptor that has certain other functions in the body. Certain strains of HIV just happen to use this receptor for viral entry, but it has other functions in the body.
The specific CCR5 mutation has positive effects for resistance to certain HIV strains but actually worsens resistance to certain other diseases. There’s also a big question of how specific and accurate his editing actually was, of course.
It’s a gene for a specific receptor that has certain other functions in the body. Certain strains of HIV just happen to use this receptor for viral entry, but it has other functions in the body.
The specific CCR5 mutation has positive effects for resistance to certain HIV strains but actually worsens resistance to certain other diseases. There’s also a big question of how specific and accurate his editing actually was, of course.