ALL IN THE FAMILY - 3 'Parent' Babies

"Three-parent DNA treatment for rare defect raises debate" PBS NewsHour 2/3/2016

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SUMMARY:  When women have defective mitochondria, their children can inherit terrible, sometimes fatal problems.  A new technology, pioneered in England, adds healthy cellular structure from a third person, meaning that children are born with DNA from three people.  William Brangham learns more from Jeffrey Kahn of Johns Hopkins University and Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Now to questions surrounding a significant advance in reproductive technology with DNA and embryos.

The change on the horizon was pioneered and approved in England and it is now being considered for use in the U.S.  Proponents believe it may eliminate dangerous disease in children, but others have raised ethical concerns.

Today, the National Academy of Sciences recommended that clinical trials go forward in the U.S.

William Brangham has our look.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  This new technology is called mitochondrial replacement technique, or MRT for shot.

Mitochondria are tiny structures that exist in nearly all the cells in our bodies, and have their own unique DNA.  The problem is, a very small number of women have defective mitochondria, and if they have children, those kids inherit their mom’s mitochondria and can suffer terrible, sometimes fatal, problems, including brain damage and heart failure.

This new technology would, in essence, replace that original mitochondria in either the mother’s egg or in the parents’ embryo with healthy mitochondria from a third person.  A child born this way would then be carrying the DNA of three different people.

Earlier today, patient advocate Laurie Strongin told us why the advance was so important for a small group of parents.

LAURIE STRONGIN, Patient Advocate:  One of the things that we have found is that parents’ desire to have genetically related offspring is a widely held desire.  It’s not universal, but it’s widely held.

And the potential to use MRT to have offspring who are genetically related to both parents is something that families who carry mtDNA disease really want.  And not everyone is going to pursue it, but for the family for whom having children who are — who have a nuclear genetic connection to them, this is something that will just be one of numerous options available to them.

MENTAL HEALTH - Schizophrenia Gene

"Scientists open ‘black box’ of schizophrenia by discovering potential genetic cause" PBS NewsHour 1/30/2016

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SUMMARY:  Medical researchers have discovered a gene that increases the risk of schizophrenia, a mental illness that afflicts more than two million Americans, sometimes causing delusions and hallucinations.  Associate Professor of Genetics at Harvard University Steven McCarroll joins Alison Stewart to discuss the findings.

BREAKTHROUGHS - 2015 Biggest, Designer Babies

"2015’s biggest breakthrough could deliver designer babies" PBS NewsHour 12/30/2015

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SUMMARY:  CRISPR, a new method for editing genes, has been called a development that could revolutionize medicine.  Cheaper and more precise than past gene editing, this promising tool has also raised concerns.  Gwen Ifill talks to Jennifer Doudna of University of California, Berkeley and Paul Knoepfler of University of California, Davis.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  It’s been called the scientific breakthrough of the year, and a development that could revolutionize medicine.  It’s all about a way of editing genes, known as CRISPR.

The new method allows scientists to snip out a faulty section of DNA and replace specific genes in living cells.  Researchers have long edited genes in the lab, but CRISPR is cheaper, far more precise, and could even be used in DNA found in eggs and sperm.

It has lots of promise, but it has raised many concerns too.

We explore those questions with Jennifer Doudna, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who helped develop this breakthrough, and Paul Knoepfler, a biologist and writer from at University of California, Davis.

Welcome to you both.

Jennifer Doudna, I’m going to start by just asking you to define in laywoman’s language gene editing and CRISPR.

JENNIFER DOUDNA, University of California, Berkeley:  Well, I would say gene editing is a method of making very precise changes to the DNA in a cell, and the CRISPR methodology allows scientists to do that with just really unprecedented precision.

GWEN IFILL:  So, there is a targeted, practical use for this?

JENNIFER DOUDNA:  Indeed, actually many.

It’s a technology that operates in basically all types of cells and allows very precise changes to be made to the genetic code that allows scientists to do things like explore the function of genes and also, in principle, correct mutations that cause disease.

WARNING - The big "IF" is if 'they' get it scientifically right AND ethically right.  If 'they' get it ethically wrong, we could end up with only the rich-and-powerful engineering the 'super race.'

Also, here's a scary book title:  "GMO Sapiens" (as mentioned in video)

SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN - Genetic Links to Schizophrenia

"Pinpointing genetic links to schizophrenia may open doors to better treatment" PBS NewsHour 7/24/2014

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JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Finally tonight, understanding the connections between human genetics and schizophrenia.

It’s part of our series on the science of the brain.  Tonight, we look at a study published this week, the largest ever of schizophrenia patients.  There are more than three million of them in the U.S.  The study found that perhaps more than 100 genes were associated with the condition.  Genetics has long been assumed to play a role.

But for the first time, researchers found genes in the immune system are among those involved.  Patients have long awaited better treatments.

Dr. Steven Hyman is the director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.  His center was involved in this study.  And I spoke with him yesterday.

Dr. Steven Hyman, welcome to the NewsHour.

First of all, tell us what it is like to have schizophrenia.  We know that something like three million Americans suffer from this.

DR. STEVEN HYMAN, Broad Institute:  That’s right.  It affects about 1 percent of people worldwide, including the United States.

And what patients experience is extremely distressing and also disabling.  There are three kinds of symptoms.  Most famously, people have what are called psychotic symptoms, hallucinations, most often hearing voices that aren’t there, delusions, which are fixed false beliefs that are not culturally appropriate.

But also less well recognized are two other symptoms which contribute to disability.  People have declines in their cognitive functions, things like memory, ability to pay attention, and ability to use their thoughts to control their emotions and behavior.

And then there’s another cluster of symptoms called deficit symptoms, where people have what is called blunted affect.  That is even something very sad might not elicit a response or something very happy.  They lose motivation.

The drugs we have today only treat the psychotic symptoms, and do that incompletely, and really don’t touch the other two sets of symptoms, leaving patients very disabled and great costs and challenges of course to families and society.

SUPREME COURT - Patent Law and Human Genes

IMHO:  No one, IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM, should be allowed to OWN our genes OR restrict others from testing any part of our human genetic genome.  Our genes are owned by the human race, NOT a company.

Of course since today's Supreme Court Inc. is owned by industry.....

"Supreme Court Tackles Case of Patent Law, Human Genetics" PBS Newshour 4/15/2013

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JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  Today, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case at the intersection of law and science, specifically, genetic research, one that may well have major consequences for the future of medicine.  The question, can human genes be patented?

We turn, as always, to Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal, who was in the courtroom today and is back with us tonight.

Marcia, first, some background on this case.

MARCIA COYLE, National Law Journal:  OK.

Myriad is a Utah-based genetic research company.  And Myriad holds patents on two genes with mutations that are linked to a very high risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer.  Its patents also give it exclusive control over diagnostic testing for those genes.

About four years ago, a group of scientists, researchers, civil rights organizations, women's health organizations decided to challenge Myriad's patents in federal court.  They filed a lawsuit.  They lost.  Two courts, two lower courts have upheld Myriad's patents.  Today, they brought -- the challengers brought the case to the Supreme Court.

HEALTH - Unlocking the Genetic Data Goldmine

"Researchers Aim to Unlock Genetic Data Goldmine for Vital Medical Information" PBS Newshour 3/12/2013

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SUMMARY:  Researchers in the San Francisco Bay area believe genetic tests will help them find the best ways to treat and potentially prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, breast and prostate cancers.  Spencer Michels reports on a giant data bank that houses genetic information on 200,000 people as part of a groundbreaking study.

SPENCER MICHELS (Newshour):  Every year, 240,000 men in America learn that they have prostate cancer.  Reggie Watkins, a retired parole officer and a patient at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., is one of them.

REGGIE WATKINS, Kaiser Patient:  The first biopsy showed a slight cancer, slight amount of cancer.  The second biopsy showed no cancer.  I do think there's a genetic situation in my family.  I'm not the only and my brother is not the only one in the family to have this problem.

SPENCER MICHELS:  Until recently, Watkins' family history and his unique genetic makeup would have played a minor role, if any, in his medical care.  But thanks in part to a massive, groundbreaking new study under way at Kaiser and the University of California, San Francisco, information gleaned from patients' genes may prove the key to identifying and treating a host of diseases.

SCIENCE - Genetic Link For Addiction?

"Scientists Say Bottoms Up to Find the Connection Between Genes and Addiction" PBS Newshour 12/13/2012

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SUMMARY: Scientists have not found one master alcoholism gene in DNA but rather several that may affect a person's susceptibility. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien goes under the influence to examine the genetic science behind alcoholism and other addictions, and how the answers point to great challenges in curing substance abuse.

MILES O’BRIEN (Newshour): So far as I know, there's no law against reporting under the influence.

Here we go. Party. So, here goes something. That wasn't too bad.

A stiff dose of 30 grams of pure ethanol, mixed with Diet Coke, the equivalent of three stiff drinks chugged in eight minutes or less.

MAN: And give it a blow. Good. Perfect. Just keep blowing, keep blowing.

MILES O’BRIEN: A bottoms-up moment to help get to the bottom of the link between addiction and our genes.

Marc Schuckit is a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.

HEALTH - Freezing Human Eggs, Update

"Freezing Human Eggs for In Vitro Fertilization No Longer Experimental Procedure" PBS Newshour 10/19/2012

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SUMMARY: Freezing eggs for infertility treatments is no longer considered 'experimental,' meaning that more insurance plans can cover the procedure. Margaret Warner talks to Shady Grove Fertility Center's Dr. Eric Widra and Center for Genetics and Society's Marcy Darnovsky for two differing views on the medical and ethical implications.

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): We turn to new guidelines and questions surrounding freezing eggs to treat infertility.

Doctors started freezing and then thawing eggs for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, years ago, but in very few cases, and the procedure has been considered experimental.

Today, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine shifted its position, saying the process shouldn't be labeled experimental any longer. It said babies born from frozen eggs are as healthy as those from fresh eggs. But the committee said the procedure should be limited in its use.

It's estimated there have only been about 1,000 births from frozen eggs, compared to nearly five million babies born through traditional IVF.

We look at what's changed and the thicket of questions it raises now with Dr Eric Widra. He co-chaired the committee that made the recommendation change. He's with the Shady GroveFertilityCenter.

And Marcy Darnovsky is the associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society in Berkeley, Calif.