Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12202/4477
Title: Cystic Fibrosis, the CRISPR Solution, and Ethical Considerations.
Authors: Alayev, Anya
Hersch, Aliza
Keywords: Cystic Fibrosis
CRISPR
Recombinant Plasmid
mice and human embryos
Jewish medical ethics
senior honors thesis
Issue Date: 7-May-2019
Publisher: Stern College for Women Yeshiva University.
Citation: Hersch, Aliza
Hersch, Aliza. Cystic Fibrosis, the CRISPR Solution, and Ethical Considerations.Presented to the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Completion of the Program Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, May 7, 2019.
Abstract: The world of genetics is complex and increasingly astounding as scientists continue to uncover layers of its depths. DNA, the genetic coding design, is responsible for the successful functioning of the human body. Yet a miscoding of this critical blueprint can be detrimental. Cystic Fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, is just one example of the impact a genetic defect can have on the entire functioning of the human body. Stemming from a flaw in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator gene, the mutation causes salt and water to be imbalanced in the body, resulting in thick mucus that inhibits primarily the respiratory and digestive systems. A myriad of treatment methods have been developed to downstream the effects of the disease. Medications are being researched in the area of gene therapy in an effort to successfully inject healthy genes to replace defective ones. Most recently scientists are working to correct mutations at their DNA core, through remarkable gene editing technology; the most popular of which is the CRISPR/ Cas 9 system. By cutting a DNA sequence at a specific locus, a mutation can be cut out and potentially corrected for a lifetime. Prospects are exciting while ethical concerns are daunting. But the possibility of correcting previously believed incurable genetic disorders continues to propel research and complex discussions in both the scientific and Jewish religious communities.
Description: The file is restricted for YU community access only.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12202/4477
https://ezproxy.yu.edu/login?url=https://repository.yu.edu/handle/20.500.12202/4477
Appears in Collections:S. Daniel Abraham Honors Student Theses

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Aliza Hersch- Thesis (PDF).pdf
  Restricted Access
submitted by HR/SCW2.9 MBAdobe PDFThumbnail
View/Open


This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons