Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

cosmosmagazine.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 231 posts

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#71

Post by Auracle »

dyauspitr wrote: post #18
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are potential serious downsides if these inserted genes end up on a different chromosome than normal and become carried by gametes to offspring who may suffer from overexpression.

I presume at the point we can generate CAD like designer gene modifications, overexpression would just be another problem that can be fixed by more modification.

Eh, maybe you’ll run into the problem the Asgard had in Stargate. Too much editing over time = couldn’t procreate anymore. Little bugs add up.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#72

Post by nicolas_t »

zmmmmm wrote: post #23
Something1234 wrote: post #3

Wait until they have kids. The deafness gene will be passed along. Soon enough we'll be like the cars with the hardware without the software or the locked features.

Apart from the other points people have made, it's worth noting that these days parents can avoid having children with inherited genetic disorders through IVF. While there will always be a component of spontaneous mutations resulting in genetic disease, we may approach within a couple of generations a state where most inherited disorders actually disappear or reduce to vastly lower prevalence over time.

Some backward countries (like my own France) forbid that due to concern over eugenics.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#73

Post by [deleted] »

LoganDark wrote: post #61
akoboldfrying wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's try to fix the world's vast number of actual, boring health problems before trying to add the equivalent of spoilers and chrome-plated hubcaps to perfectly healthy human bodies.

I wish it were possible to achieve an entirely non-human body, but I don't think that's going to happen within any of our lifetimes.

[deleted]

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#74

Post by alexey-salmin »

lannisterstark wrote: post #70
sircastor wrote: post #21

I’m curious about the effect on the deaf community. I understand there’s resistance to “fixing” deafness as some consider it a component of their culture and community, not unlike queer people and the attempts to “fix” them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant#Criticism_and...

>not unlike queer people and the attempts to “fix” them. To be fair, LGBTQ community isn't 'broken.' Some people are inherently gay, lesbian, etc. Deafness _is_ an actual defect. The weird thing that we should not strive to fix human defects when they are truly defects is astounding.

Some people are inherently deaf, what's the difference?

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#75

Post by Veraticus »

alexey-salmin wrote: post #74
lannisterstark wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>not unlike queer people and the attempts to “fix” them. To be fair, LGBTQ community isn't 'broken.' Some people are inherently gay, lesbian, etc. Deafness _is_ an actual defect. The weird thing that we should not strive to fix human defects when they are truly defects is astounding.

Some people are inherently deaf, what's the difference?

Being LGBTQ is not a disability or handicap; it’s simply different, like being red-haired or left-handed.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#77

Post by alexey-salmin »

Veraticus wrote: post #75
alexey-salmin wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people are inherently deaf, what's the difference?

Being LGBTQ is not a disability or handicap; it’s simply different, like being red-haired or left-handed.

What makes you think that deafness is not the same as being left-handed?

I mean objectively, not based on the current cultural norms which will be very different 50 years from now.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#78

Post by Veraticus »

alexey-salmin wrote: post #77
Veraticus wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being LGBTQ is not a disability or handicap; it’s simply different, like being red-haired or left-handed.

What makes you think that deafness is not the same as being left-handed? I mean objectively, not based on the current cultural norms which will be very different 50 years from now.

“Objectively,” left-handed versus right-handed changes nothing about a person’s capabilities in the world, whereas being deaf does.

Cultural norms is an interesting comparison. Despite there being no actual difference in capacity, cultural views forced many left-handed people to be right-handed, making those people miserable in the process for no good reason.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#79

Post by marvin »

akoboldfrying wrote: post #39
dyauspitr wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can’t wait for a geneCAD where we for example, design wings for a human body and then it works out the rest and generates a CRISPR based AAV that you can inject yourself with. True race and sex changes too. Hopefully in the next 50 years but that’s wishful thinking.

Let's try to fix the world's vast number of actual, boring health problems before trying to add the equivalent of spoilers and chrome-plated hubcaps to perfectly healthy human bodies.

Just ensure that there’s good a insurance system to finance the rare health issues, and the market will take care of the hubcaps and spoilers.

Solving e.g. male pattern baldness or bone loss from peridontitis means guaranteed billionaire from out-of-pocket treatments alone.

Re: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness

#80

Post by stahtops »

alexey-salmin wrote: post #77
Veraticus wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being LGBTQ is not a disability or handicap; it’s simply different, like being red-haired or left-handed.

What makes you think that deafness is not the same as being left-handed? I mean objectively, not based on the current cultural norms which will be very different 50 years from now.

Let me help explain, some left handed people can hear and are not deaf. Objectively that is how deafness is not the same as being left-handed.
Post reply on HN