12-19-2016, 08:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-19-2016, 08:58 PM by Avalancheon.)
When genetic engineering becomes a mature field in the next century or two, what kindof limits will there be WRT altering a subjects physiology? For instance, if a couple wanted their unborn child to have increased athletic performance, this would require germline engineering in the fetal stage. More specifically, the genes which regulate myogenesis (formation of muscle tissue) will need to be targeted. How difficult is a treatment like this, in an absolute sense? How do you control what a gene does? Would geneticists need to target the protein-coding genes, or the noncoding genes that regulate gene expression?
If there was a difficulty scale for genetic engineering, would it be defined simply by quantity? I.E, the more genes you need to alter, the more difficult it is? Or does the type of gene you are trying to tamper with contribute to the difficulty? (Perhaps some genes are inaccessible because they form the foundation for whole gene complexes)
If there was a difficulty scale for genetic engineering, would it be defined simply by quantity? I.E, the more genes you need to alter, the more difficult it is? Or does the type of gene you are trying to tamper with contribute to the difficulty? (Perhaps some genes are inaccessible because they form the foundation for whole gene complexes)