Ɖ Gardịn vy on stemsélz n embrioz: crietñ lîf’s lîcnis in a lab
Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 18 June 2023
Ny tecnoḷji rezz hops n eʈicl dlemaz. Ssayti wl hv t wrc ǎt ẃt it ʈncs
Súnde, 18 Jūn 2023
Sayns ofn muvz fastr ɖn moṛl ʈt pṛgresz, līvñ ɖ public disorịntd n xpozñ ɖ limits v lejsletrz’ imaɉneśn. Mni ppl wl b struġlñ t mc sns v ɖ astoṇśñ brecʈrūz prizntd at ɖs wīc’s Inṭnaśnl Ssayti fr Stemsél Rsrć’z (ISSR) ańl mītñ in Bostn. Ɖ wrc bî Pṛf. Magdalena Żernicka-Goetz, v Cembrij Yṇvrṣti n ɖ Caḷforńa Insttyt v Tecnoḷji, crietñ hymn embrio-lîc modlz fṛm stemsélz, wɖt ɖ nīd fr egz or sprm, rezz qsćnz abt lîf itslf. Ɖr sīmz an elimnt v pleyñ God in growñ a tîni hymn-iś bìtñ hart in a lab, hvr sạntificli dzîṛbl z Jitesh Neupane’z wrc at Cembrij’z Grdn Insttyt.
Pswedñ stemsélz t dveḷp untl clumps v ɖm rzmbl an embrio or an embrionic orgn in cndiśnz ɖt mimic ɖ wūm z cuṛntli an unreğletd proses in ɖ YC, ɖo trnsfŕñ ɖz intu a wmn’z wūm z pṛhibtd. Hvr, gvn ɖ siṃlaṛtiz ɖt ɖz stemsél modlz hv wɖ hymn embrioz, ɖe ofr inorṃs ptnśl t unloc ɖ sīcrits v rli pregnnsi n gv an insît intu ẃt līdz t mscaṛjz or brʈdīfects. Wɖt clir gîdlînz t pṛmot rsponsbl rsrć n mnten public confidns in it, ɖo, sayntists onli hv ɖer conśns – n ɖ fir v luzñ ɖer repyteśn – t gîd ɖm.
Olrdi ɖ tecnoḷji cn gro ɖz sélz bynd ɖ iqivḷnt v ɖ 14-de limit plest on hymn embrio xperimnteśn. Ɖs rstrix́n wz pt intu ples bcz v ɖ f’loṣfr Mẹri Wornoc’s b’lif ɖt, bfr a fortnît, “ɖ hymn embrio hz’nt yt dsîdd hǎ mni ppl it’s gwñ t b”. Hr 1984 rport on infrtiḷtitrītmnt n embrịlojicl rsrć unḍgrdz xistñ lw. Bt ɖz clumps v stemsélz r nt hymn in ɖ we w unḍstand ɖt wrd. Bîoeʈics z ɖ eʈics v lîf. Bt ẃt dz ɖ trm “lîf” mīn? In enćnt Grīc, lîf z xprest dstñtli az bîos n zǒi. Ɖ latr z a trm ɖt deẓgnets lîf az bér or animl lîf. Bîos, bî contrast z abt a “cors or we v livñ”. Stemsél clumps hv no bîos. Ɖe phps mt obten it f ɖe wr alaud t band tgɖr n form a bren ɖt hd fīlñz n ʈōts. Sć an xperimnt wd b justli un’xptbl t cuṛnt public opińn.
In 2021 ɖ ISSR iśùd rsrćgîdlînz seyñ ɖt hymn-embrio modlz r nt guvnd bî ɖ lwz cuṿrñ ɖ ys v hymn embrioz. Bt ɖ ISSR z a sạntific ssayti, nt a cort or a lw-mcñ bodi. Cuntriz arnd ɖ wrld me rīć difṛnt cncluźnz. Stanḟd Yṇvrṣti’z Hanc Grīli hz sd ɖt “f ɖ embriomodl hz a sgnificnt posbiḷti v ultiṃtli līdñ t ɖ brʈ v a bebi, it śd b trītd, eʈicli n līġli, lîc a hymn embrio”. Ɖ trubl z, h sd, ɖt ɖr z no we v jujñ ɖs dfiṇtivli – śort v ɖ uneʈicl implanteśn v embriomodlz in wūmz.
Pṛf. Grīli rout a bc in 2016 sjstñ ɖt wɖn a fy decedz most ppl in dveḷpt cuntriz wl sīs rīpṛdux́n ʈru sx, yzñ sx xclusivli fr pleźr, n instd wl rlî on rīpṛdux́n ʈru plūripotnt stemsél-d’rîvd gamīts. Ẃt wns mt hv bn saynsfix́n nǎ sīmz les ǎtlandiś. Bt sć dveḷpmnts mst nt muv ssayti alñ a dhyṃnîzñ paʈ twd a brev ny wrld. Ministrz śd b alrt t ɖ forsz n pracṭsz tecñ s dǎn ɖs rod n vijilntli stir anɖr cors. Covid-19 incrist public trust in sayns. Ɖ brʈ v Luīz Brǎn, ɖ wrld’z frst IVF bebi, léd t ɖ Britiś guvnmnt setñ p ɖ Wornoc cmiti t invstget ẃɖr ɖ tecnoḷji wz axptbl n hǎ it śd b reğletd. Phps it’s tîm fr a ny panl t cnvin n fînd an eʈicl cnsnss.
