From: mk_thisisit
Significant advancements in recent days have led countries like Great Britain and the United States to approve therapeutic methods based on genome editing [00:00:02], [00:03:54]. This marks a breakthrough in the ability to modify DNA to treat diseases, with applications already in use for oncological conditions [00:00:15].
The discussion around human genome modification raises profound questions about its impact on future generations [00:00:18], the evolutionary development of the human species [00:00:22], [00:02:40], and crucial ethical considerations [00:02:48].
The Essence of DNA and Modification Capabilities
DNA is considered the essence of life, defining each individual, their appearance, certain behaviors, and predispositions [00:04:45], [00:05:05], [00:05:18], [00:05:39]. It dictates how long a species lives [00:09:13] and predispositions to diseases [00:09:30].
Currently, scientists have reached a significant level of capability in interfering with the human DNA strand [00:01:11]:
- Modifying sequences by introducing or deactivating fragments [00:01:21], [00:01:25].
- Deactivating genes [00:01:30].
- Amplifying certain records by duplicating fragments [00:01:39].
- Intentionally damaging DNA to render it non-functional [00:01:46]. This intentional damage is the basis for genome editing technologies like CRISPR [00:08:50], [00:08:55], [00:15:31]. Understanding the natural repair mechanisms of DNA allows for the proper design of these editing tools [00:09:01].
Evolutionary and Ethical Considerations
The ability to interfere with the human genome on a large scale presents significant challenges in assessing its long-term evolutionary consequences [00:02:23], [00:02:30]. Beyond technical capabilities, ethical issues and safety are paramount [00:02:48], [00:02:55].
There are futuristic visions, like that of Polish writer Jacek Dukaj, suggesting that future generations might be so extensively genetically modified that they could no longer be classified as Homo sapiens [00:03:00], [00:03:10], [00:03:16]. While the exact future is hard to predict, the technological capacity for such changes exists [00:03:36].
DNA and Lifespan
The stability of DNA strands and the effectiveness of cellular repair mechanisms affect aging [00:09:56]. While these mechanisms naturally decrease with age, lifestyle choices can help prevent this decline [00:10:01], [00:10:06]. The continuous improvement in quality of life and disease treatment already contributes to increasing human lifespan [00:24:14]. It is believed that through DNA modifications, humans may eventually exceed a lifespan of 100 years [00:24:04], [00:24:11].
Therapeutic Applications and Breakthroughs
Recent approvals for therapeutic genome editing include methods for treating sickle cell anemia, marking a significant breakthrough [00:04:02], [00:04:10], [00:17:40]. This direction is expected to be replicated, leading to more therapies in other disease areas [00:04:16].
Oncological Diseases
The treatment of oncological diseases involves modifying DNA [00:17:28]. New generation targeted therapies focus on inducing DNA damage precisely in cancer cells while sparing normal cells, minimizing side effects seen in traditional chemotherapy [00:16:06], [00:16:10], [00:16:15].
Examples of such therapies include:
- DDR (DNA Damage Response) therapeutics: These drugs inhibit the repair of DNA damage specifically in cancer cells, causing their DNA to break [00:16:28], [00:16:33]. PARP inhibitors (e.g., Olaparib, Niraparib), used for ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers, have been on the market for years and show significant positive effects [00:18:05], [00:18:17].
- Radiopharmaceuticals: Molecules that attach to tumor cells and emit radiation (alpha or beta therapy), causing DNA breaks specifically in cancer cells, leading to their destruction [00:16:42], [00:16:46], [00:17:03].
While a single “cure for cancer” is unlikely due to the unique nature of each tumor [00:19:16], [00:19:34], the future of oncological therapies lies in personalized medicine. This involves very accurate patient diagnostics, characterizing specific tumors through genetic and functional testing, and tailoring therapy to individual needs [00:20:06], [00:20:13], [00:20:18], [00:20:41]. This approach aims to make cancer cease to be a fatal disease in many cases [00:19:26].
Neurodegenerative Diseases
DNA stability and damage are also relevant to neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease [00:11:39], [00:11:46]. The goal is to develop therapies that modify DNA to treat these conditions [00:15:00].
Advancements from the Jagiellonian University
Dr. Magdalena Kordon, a co-founder of the startup IntoDNA, pursued her doctorate at the Jagiellonian University, focusing on understanding how human cells protect and repair DNA to maintain its stability and security [00:05:54], [00:05:59], [00:06:06]. Her specific interest was in single-strand DNA breaks and how the XRCC1 protein is delivered to the break site for repair [00:07:21], [00:07:27], [00:07:39].
The IntoDNA startup, founded in 2017 with Mirosław Zaleski, Kamil Solec, and Professor Jerzy Drobny, originated from this university research [00:11:51], [00:13:53]. Their technological platform addresses a previous lack of technology to directly prove the existence and specific localization of DNA breaks at very low levels of intensity [00:12:29], [00:12:48], [00:12:53], [00:13:04]. This platform allows for precise counting and localization of DNA damage, which is crucial for determining how a patient might respond to a specific drug [00:13:13], [00:14:35].
IntoDNA’s goal is to assist companies and laboratories worldwide in developing new generation targeted therapies by providing a highly sensitive and specific tool to detect and characterize DNA damage [00:11:11], [00:11:19], [00:14:02]. This technology can verify if genome editing systems introduce damage correctly [00:15:44]. By providing precise data, IntoDNA aims to accelerate the long development process of new therapeutics, which can otherwise take over a decade [00:21:54], [00:22:01].