Scientists Create First Self-Replicating Synthetic Life

[gubbi]

In other words now they can create cell of a specific DNA on their own....which means they can create a cell on their own...However they cannot give it a behaviour and have to depend on a copy of DNA structure... In essence they are a step closer in creating life on their own...

Not exactly.

Let me give you a very very simple analogy.

Consider a computer - desktop. The processor would be the DNA while the motherboard would be the nucleus of a cell, while the computer tower is the whole cell. Now what the scientists have done, in analogy, is copy the architecture of a G4 processor & mated it to an Intel processor and mated that to a Intel Mb, running say Mac OS (proteins which transfer the DNA code to the cellular machinery). The computer (cell) booted up (started making proteins)! They did not come up with a totally new processor architecture!

The problem, unlike processors, is in the DNA, we do not completely understand what those tiny capacitors and transistors (complex combinations of nucleotide bases) in the processor do! Not to mention the complex circuitry (the sequence in which these sequences are present) which connects these tiny components! Also we do NOT completely understand how the processor connects and works in tandem with the Mb! We also do not completely understand how the OS connects the processor to the Mb. What we have is a fairly general idea, thats all.

And then there is the question of LAN and the WWW. The computer is connected to the LAN (tissue micro-environment) and numerous such LANs are connected to the WWW (the whole organism). There are also direct connection of many solitary computers directly to the WWW.

When we do not understand how the processor works and its connection to the Mb, it becomes highly complicated and difficult to make a computer. Not to mention the power source. We do NOT know what the power source is! Forget the power GRID which provides power to the outlet socket!

TO give a brief example of complexity of cellular processes, check out this figure:

This is just for some of the food molecules we digest in a single cell. Each point or arrow represents a single protein (which inturn in controlled by atleast 2-3 other proteins). Now imagine more such complicated pathways (we dont know exactly how many) some more complex, some less, and you have a general idea of the complexity of process going on inside of a single cell. Multiply it by a trillion (no of cells in a human body) and you will have the idea of the complexity of processes going on inside of a human being!

To understand all this, we have to understand how the molecules interact, or rather how the atoms interact with each other. We dont know how exactly, because we dont know what gives those atoms mass. Probably the Higgs Bososn particle? Maybe. Who knows?

Hope that clears some air.

 

[Dash]

But no matter what was discovered, are we not slowly laying our hands on things that we shouldnt even touch?

 

[gubbi]

But no matter what was discovered, are we not slowly laying our hands on things that we shouldnt even touch?

Yeah, and remain in stones ages? Might as well use flint instruments to hunt and skin meat!

 

[DesiGuy]

we don't even know all the DNA codes or all cells in human body.

 

[sparklingway]

we don't even know all the DNA codes or all cells in human body.

That's a highly un-scientific comment.

 

[DesiGuy]

That's a highly un-scientific comment.

I appreciate scinentist work, however i was just saying that there is much more to learn.

 

[xenia]

i ve been waiting for a research that can possibly be used to control genetically tranferred diseases..can anyone enlighten me plz!!

 

[Skies]

i ve been waiting for a research that can possibly be used to control genetically tranferred diseases..can anyone enlighten me plz!!

Ya, It's Possible!

Scientists are a step closer to realizing the dream of eliminating genetic disorders. We know it's possible to trace out the responsible genes for many genetically transfered diseases but it's hard to control those genes. Some expensive medicines can be use for few genetic disorders but scientists are trying for preventing genetically inherited diseases by Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) method now. It's a new embryo-testing procedure, devised by scientists at Cornell University, has allowed parents who both carry the gene for sickle-cell anemia to bear twins free of the disorder.

PGD - PREVENTING GENETIC DISEASE:

If you have a history of genetic defects in your family, or if you have experienced recurrent miscarriages, you may be interested in trying preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD). PGD offers many couples the hope of having a child that is unaffected by genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities. PGD testing can help to determine the health of your embryo before it is implanted during your fertility treatments.
This method determines whether or not embryos fertilized and grown in a lab have inherited a particular gene defect. Only embryos without the defect are implanted in the uterus, thereby eliminating the chances of creating offspring with the disease.

"The technique can be a powerful diagnostic tool for carrier couples who desire a healthy child but wish to avoid the difficult decision of whether to abort an affected fetus," writes Kangpu Xu of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Xu and colleagues reported their results in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Because the mother and father each carried one copy of the defective gene, they risked a 25% chance of having a child who would inherit two copies of the gene and get the disease. They ran a 50% chance of having a "carrier" child like themselves with one copy of the gene to pass along. The scientists tested seven embryos from the couple. Four were normal, two were carriers of the disease, and the last was uncertain. Three of the four normal embryos were implanted in the woman, and she gave birth to healthy twins.



What is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis?

PGD is a testing procedure used to detect unhealthy embryos before they are transferred to your womb during IVF treatment. Developed in the 1980s, PGD testing is used to detect problems with specific genes or chromosomes in embryos. During the early stages of embryo development, cells from your embryos are analyzed for genetic abnormalities. By detecting gene problems before implantation, unhealthy or defective embryos can be discarded, allowing only healthy embryos to be implanted during fertility treatments.

Who Uses Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis?

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is still a fairly new fertility treatment. It is only available in large fertility clinics and is offered to couples with a history of genetic disorders and other life-threatening diseases. Many couples are reluctant to give birth to a child for fear of passing on a dangerous genetic defect. Genetic disorders can often impact greatly on a person’s life, causing physical and emotional pain, developmental problems, and even death. PGD is intended to help prevent a couple from passing on these genetic defects to their child.

In particular, couples who pursue PGD testing tend to fall into one of three categories:

•Those with a single gene defect, which often manifests as a family history of genetic disorders.

•Those with chromosomal defects.

•Those with chromosomal rearrangement, in which multiple miscarriages are often experienced.



What Conditions Can Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Detect?

•Chromosome X: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fragile X Syndrome, and Turner's Syndrome

•Chromosome Y: Acute myeloidleukemia

•Chromosome 13: Wilson Disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer

•Chromosome 15: Tay-Sach's Disease, Marfan Syndrome

•Chromosome 16: Alpha thalassemia, Polycystic kidney disease

•Chromosome 17: Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

•Chromosome 18: Pancreatic cancer, Niemann-Pick Disease

•Chromosome 21: Down's Syndrome

•chromosome 22: Chronic myeloid leukemia


The Benefits of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

There are a number of benefits to using PGD. If you already have a child with a genetic disorder, PGD testing can prevent you from passing the genetic defect on to another child. PGD testing can help to limit the number of implantation failures and spontaneous abortions you experience, as it prevents the use of unhealthy embryos. PGD can also help to limit your chances of having twins or higher-order multiples.

Disadvantages to Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnoses

There are some drawbacks to using PGD testing to conceive a child. PGD testing requires the use of in-vitro fertilization, which is not associated with the best pregnancy success rates for all couples. PGD testing also conflicts with some people’s religious or moral views. Because some embryos will be destroyed, you may feel uncomfortable with the idea of using PGD testing to conceive

The Procedure

The PGD technique is a fairly complex procedure that demands the skills of a highly qualified reproductive endocrinologist. PGD testing can only be performed when a couple elects to use IVF. PGD testing can usually be performed relatively quickly, in order to ensure timely implantation of all healthy embryos.

The PGD testing procedure does involve a number of steps:

•You will be treated with fertility drugs, such as Clomid, to induce ovulation.

•Once you have ovulated, some of your eggs will be retrieved for fertilization.

•In your clinic’s laboratory, your eggs will be fertilized with your partner’s sperm.

•After about three days, or once your embryo has developed to between 6 and 12 cells, PGD testing can begin.

•A small hole is made in the outer layer of your embryo.

•One of your embryo’s cells is removed. This will not affect the development of your embryo.

•DNA is extracted from the nucleus of the cell. This is then analyzed using a procedure called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for any genetic defects.

•Any unhealthy embryos may be discarded, while the remaining healthy embryos are implanted in your uterus.


Costs of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Unfortunately, because it is so complicated and not widely available, PGD is very expensive. You will have to undergo in-vitro fertilization procedures, which generally run upwards of $12,000. PGD testing can be combined with IVF for between $2,500 and $4,000. These procedures are generally not covered by medical insurance.








*Mod can merge this thread with sticky Science thread.

 

[Luftwaffe]

i am amazed govts are supporting such projects and huge funding is given where as stem cell is the area where govt is skeptical even though its the most important discovery and the almost cure of most diseases.

Govt+pharmaceuticals Vs Stem Cell Researchers
I was amazed to read about stem cell research lab in India that helped a kidney patient. I am really interested in this subject.

 

[DesiGuy]

Artificial life or plain genetic engineering?


A day after genome pioneer J Craig Venter announced he had created 'synthetic' life, the scientific world was agog over the merits and demerits of Craig's seemingly dramatic work. Is the future actually here? The jury is still out.

Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania told Nature medical journal that Venter and his team's achievement "undermines a fundamental belief about the nature of life that is likely to prove as momentous to our view of ourselves and our place in the Universe as the discoveries of Galileo, Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein".

The US government's reaction was more guarded with President Barack Obama announcing that the White House bioethics committee would submit a report within six months about the "genuine concerns" raised by this development.

But even back home, India's premier geneticist Dr P M Bhargava, who set up the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, was categorical that Venter, though a fine scientist, had this time around overstated his work's significance.

"Venter's team took a cell, removed its DNA and replaced it with a host of other material. This can at best be called a massive bit of genetic engineering," he told TOI over telephone from Hyderabad.

Dr Bhargava's contention was simple: "A cell has several components. If we can take each of those components separately and put them together to create life, that would be creating synthetic life. Venter's experiment is just a genetic engineering exercise."

His words find an echo in the reaction of Dr Steen Rasmussen from the University of Southern Denmark. In a published statement, he said, "Implementing a synthetic genome in a modern cell is a significant milestone in understanding life today. However, the radical 'top down' genetic engineering that Venter's team has done, does not quite constitute a synthetic cell by my definition. Bottom-up researchers, like myself, aim to assemble life — including hardware and the programme — as simply as possible, even if the result is different from what we think of as life. Constructing life using different material and blueprints will teach us more about the nature of life than reproducing life as we know it."

The stand of the non-governmental organizations was clear as well. A statement released by the Friends of the Earth, an environmental group in the US, denounced the synthetic genome as dangerous new technology, saying that "Mr Venter should stop all further research until sufficient regulations are in place."
Some NGOs felt that even the environmental uses of synthetic cells (it is hoped the bacteria, for instance, can be used to neutralize greenhouse gases) were exaggerated.

BBC quoted Dr Helen Wallace from Genewatch UK, an organization that monitors developments in genetic technologies, as saying, "If you release new organisms into the environment, you can do more harm than good. We don't know how these organisms will behave in the environment."

The synthetic genome also raised some philosophical points. Mark Bedau, a professor at Reed College in Oregon, said: "It (the new prosthetic genome) will revitalize perennial questions about the significance of life — what is it, why it is important and what role humans should have in its future."

 

[Durran3]

Ya, It's Possible!

Scientists are a step closer to realizing the dream of eliminating genetic disorders. We know it's possible to trace out the responsible genes for many genetically transfered diseases but it's hard to control those genes. Some expensive medicines can be use for few genetic disorders but scientists are trying for preventing genetically inherited diseases by Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) method now. It's a new embryo-testing procedure, devised by scientists at Cornell University, has allowed parents who both carry the gene for sickle-cell anemia to bear twins free of the disorder.

PGD - PREVENTING GENETIC DISEASE:

If you have a history of genetic defects in your family, or if you have experienced recurrent miscarriages, you may be interested in trying preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD). PGD offers many couples the hope of having a child that is unaffected by genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities. PGD testing can help to determine the health of your embryo before it is implanted during your fertility treatments.
This method determines whether or not embryos fertilized and grown in a lab have inherited a particular gene defect. Only embryos without the defect are implanted in the uterus, thereby eliminating the chances of creating offspring with the disease.

"The technique can be a powerful diagnostic tool for carrier couples who desire a healthy child but wish to avoid the difficult decision of whether to abort an affected fetus," writes Kangpu Xu of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Xu and colleagues reported their results in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Because the mother and father each carried one copy of the defective gene, they risked a 25% chance of having a child who would inherit two copies of the gene and get the disease. They ran a 50% chance of having a "carrier" child like themselves with one copy of the gene to pass along. The scientists tested seven embryos from the couple. Four were normal, two were carriers of the disease, and the last was uncertain. Three of the four normal embryos were implanted in the woman, and she gave birth to healthy twins.



What is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis?

PGD is a testing procedure used to detect unhealthy embryos before they are transferred to your womb during IVF treatment. Developed in the 1980s, PGD testing is used to detect problems with specific genes or chromosomes in embryos. During the early stages of embryo development, cells from your embryos are analyzed for genetic abnormalities. By detecting gene problems before implantation, unhealthy or defective embryos can be discarded, allowing only healthy embryos to be implanted during fertility treatments.

Who Uses Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis?

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is still a fairly new fertility treatment. It is only available in large fertility clinics and is offered to couples with a history of genetic disorders and other life-threatening diseases. Many couples are reluctant to give birth to a child for fear of passing on a dangerous genetic defect. Genetic disorders can often impact greatly on a person’s life, causing physical and emotional pain, developmental problems, and even death. PGD is intended to help prevent a couple from passing on these genetic defects to their child.

In particular, couples who pursue PGD testing tend to fall into one of three categories:

•Those with a single gene defect, which often manifests as a family history of genetic disorders.

•Those with chromosomal defects.

•Those with chromosomal rearrangement, in which multiple miscarriages are often experienced.



What Conditions Can Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Detect?

•Chromosome X: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fragile X Syndrome, and Turner's Syndrome

•Chromosome Y: Acute myeloidleukemia

•Chromosome 13: Wilson Disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer

•Chromosome 15: Tay-Sach's Disease, Marfan Syndrome

•Chromosome 16: Alpha thalassemia, Polycystic kidney disease

•Chromosome 17: Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

•Chromosome 18: Pancreatic cancer, Niemann-Pick Disease

•Chromosome 21: Down's Syndrome

•chromosome 22: Chronic myeloid leukemia


The Benefits of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

There are a number of benefits to using PGD. If you already have a child with a genetic disorder, PGD testing can prevent you from passing the genetic defect on to another child. PGD testing can help to limit the number of implantation failures and spontaneous abortions you experience, as it prevents the use of unhealthy embryos. PGD can also help to limit your chances of having twins or higher-order multiples.

Disadvantages to Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnoses

There are some drawbacks to using PGD testing to conceive a child. PGD testing requires the use of in-vitro fertilization, which is not associated with the best pregnancy success rates for all couples. PGD testing also conflicts with some people’s religious or moral views. Because some embryos will be destroyed, you may feel uncomfortable with the idea of using PGD testing to conceive

The Procedure

The PGD technique is a fairly complex procedure that demands the skills of a highly qualified reproductive endocrinologist. PGD testing can only be performed when a couple elects to use IVF. PGD testing can usually be performed relatively quickly, in order to ensure timely implantation of all healthy embryos.

The PGD testing procedure does involve a number of steps:

•You will be treated with fertility drugs, such as Clomid, to induce ovulation.

•Once you have ovulated, some of your eggs will be retrieved for fertilization.

•In your clinic’s laboratory, your eggs will be fertilized with your partner’s sperm.

•After about three days, or once your embryo has developed to between 6 and 12 cells, PGD testing can begin.

•A small hole is made in the outer layer of your embryo.

•One of your embryo’s cells is removed. This will not affect the development of your embryo.

•DNA is extracted from the nucleus of the cell. This is then analyzed using a procedure called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for any genetic defects.

•Any unhealthy embryos may be discarded, while the remaining healthy embryos are implanted in your uterus.


Costs of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Unfortunately, because it is so complicated and not widely available, PGD is very expensive. You will have to undergo in-vitro fertilization procedures, which generally run upwards of $12,000. PGD testing can be combined with IVF for between $2,500 and $4,000. These procedures are generally not covered by medical insurance.








*Mod can merge this thread with sticky Science thread.

Thanks for this information since i know of two families who have Huntington's disease which is a genetic chronic neurological disorder.

 

[gubbi]

Ya, It's Possible!

Scientists are a step closer to realizing the dream of eliminating genetic disorders. We know it's possible to trace out the responsible genes for many genetically transfered diseases but it's hard to control those genes. Some expensive medicines can be use for few genetic disorders but scientists are trying for preventing genetically inherited diseases by Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) method now. It's a new embryo-testing procedure, devised by scientists at Cornell University, has allowed parents who both carry the gene for sickle-cell anemia to bear twins free of the disorder.

PGD - PREVENTING GENETIC DISEASE:

If you have a history of genetic defects in your family, or if you have experienced recurrent miscarriages, you may be interested in trying preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD). PGD offers many couples the hope of having a child that is unaffected by genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities. PGD testing can help to determine the health of your embryo before it is implanted during your fertility treatments.
This method determines whether or not embryos fertilized and grown in a lab have inherited a particular gene defect. Only embryos without the defect are implanted in the uterus, thereby eliminating the chances of creating offspring with the disease.

"The technique can be a powerful diagnostic tool for carrier couples who desire a healthy child but wish to avoid the difficult decision of whether to abort an affected fetus," writes Kangpu Xu of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Xu and colleagues reported their results in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The procedure you have posted here is NOT a cure or treatment for hereditary disorders. It is basically a diagnostic tool, to find out whether the fertilized egg, before transplantation, has any genetic defects. The advantage is just nominal (keeping in mind the ruckus created by the pro-life groups), in that the embryo can be discarded before it implants onto the uterus wall and does not, yet, become a life (as defined by these pro-life groups).

Thanks for this information since i know of two families who have Huntington's disease which is a genetic chronic neurological disorder.

Hereditary disorders passed down generations due to mutations or defects in the genetic make up cannot be "cured" per se. An attempt was made in the recent past through Gene Therapy, wherein an attempt is made to replace the aberrant gene with its normal gene sequence. Though the procedure works smoothly in laboratory conditions, in the human body the procedure failed. In the recent clinical trials, some patients treated with this gene therapy developed cancer - a totally unforeseen consequence.

The only way out, is to clinically manage the conditions and symptoms of the disease/disorder, for now, with drugs. Maybe in the future someone, or maybe even I, might come up with something novel (you'll can pay me royalties later) where we can make sure that gene therapy does exactly what its supposed to do.

 

[qsaark]

Did Craig and His Team Create Life?

Craig (affectionately known as the 'Dark Prince of Molecular Biology') and his company (Celera Genomics) have been involved in the deciphering of the human genome. The experiment Craig and his team performed was simply to show that a micro-organism can survive and multiply on limited number of genes that would form a "minimal bacterial genome".

While bacteria are small, number of genes found on their genome could be tens of thousands (depending on the species). Craig's team chose a bacterium called "Mycoplasma mycoides". This bacteria is not a complex bacteria since it lacks a cell wall. The genome of Mycoplasma mycoides is composed of single circular chromosome of 1,211,703 base pairs and there are some 985 putative genes identified on the chromosome.

Before the human genome project was completed, a number of bacterial as well as viral genomes were already sequenced and the number of genes present on them were estimated. While these organism look small and not very complex, Scientists have always wondered why they contain so many genes? Are all these genes necessary? Are all the genes expressed? Is it possible to get rid of some of the genes? Could an organism survive on a minimal set of genes? 'Essential genes' has been a fundamental question of molecular biology for decades and Craig's team tried to answer this very question.

First of all, what is a gene? Gene is a sequence of four nucleotides (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine) connected in pairs and supported by sugars and phosphates. This sequence of nucleotides form what we call a DNA (Deoxy ribonucleic acid) which in the presence of certain factors (enzymes, ribosomes, amino acids) makes up a protein. The protein could be a structural protein (that form structures in organelles) or globular in nature (could act as receptors, enzymes etc). However, a gene is a useless entity if it is packaged in a shell that lacks the essential components for its translation into a protein.

So can gene or more correctly DNA be described as life? No, because on its own, it does not replicate, an essential function or trait that makes something 'alive'.

So what craig did was this:

He took a shell of a Mycoplasma mycoides that had ALL THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS ALREADY PRESENT in it but lacked the single circular chromosome.

Than he introduced a synthetic (NOT FOREIGN) chromosome that was composed of not all of the 985 original genes but only 381 (of original 985) genes. Upon the introduction of this 'minimal genome', his team observed that the bacterium was able to multiply. Now please understand that the genes he put in the 'minimal genome' did not come from the sky nor were they brainchild of his or his team. These were all 'natural genes' known to make known proteins required for the survival and multiplication of the bacteria.

So at the end of the experiment, HE DID NOT CREATE A LIFE FORM, but only showed that a bacterium can still survive and multiply on a minimal set of 'essential genes'. He did these experiments somewhere between 2005-2006 (or even before that I am not sure) and filed for patents in October 12, 2006. At the time when he and his team was doing these landmark experiments, he would have never thought that one fateful day his work would be presented as an argument to refute the presence of God or his exclusive ability to create, the Creator on a forum called PDF. The US Patent application (number 20070122826) DOES NOT claim any such stupidity as "First Self-Replicating Synthetic Life". The Abstract of the patent reads:

Abstract

The present invention relates, e.g., to a minimal set of protein-coding genes which provides the information required for replication of a free-living organism in a rich bacterial culture medium, wherein (1) the gene set does not comprise the 101 genes listed in Table 2; and/or wherein (2) the gene set comprises the 381 protein-coding genes listed in Table 3 and, optionally, one of more of: a set of three genes encoding ABC transporters for phosphate import (genes MG410, MG411 and MG412; or genes MG289, MG290 and MG291); the lipoprotein-encoding gene MG185 or MG260; and/or the glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase gene MG293 or MG385.

Note: The author is an Assistant Professor of Molecular Virology.

 

[Skies]

The procedure you have posted here is NOT a cure or treatment for hereditary disorders. It is basically a diagnostic tool, to find out whether the fertilized egg, before transplantation, has any genetic defects.

But after diagnosis and detecting the unwanted genes it's possible to possible to replace those genes with the desired genes before transfered to the embryo to stop genetically transfered diseases, right? Look at the quoted portion in below where it is said that

What Conditions Can Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Detect?

•Chromosome X: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fragile X Syndrome, and Turner's Syndrome

•Chromosome Y: Acute myeloidleukemia

•Chromosome 13: Wilson Disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer

•Chromosome 15: Tay-Sach's Disease, Marfan Syndrome

•Chromosome 16: Alpha thalassemia, Polycystic kidney disease

•Chromosome 17: Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

•Chromosome 18: Pancreatic cancer, Niemann-Pick Disease

•Chromosome 21: Down's Syndrome

•chromosome 22: Chronic myeloid leukemia

those chromosomes can be detect during diagnosis and it's possible to eliminate those unwanted genes to avoid further genetic diseases.

 

[xenia]

But after diagnosis and detecting the unwanted genes it's possible to possible to replace those genes with the desired genes before transfered to the embryo to stop genetically transfered diseases, right? Look at the quoted portion in below where it is said that

those chromosomes can be detect during diagnosis and it's possible to eliminate those unwanted genes to avoid further genetic diseases.

1 thing, therez another technique which detects the genetic defects in the embryo in initial stages..there is not much difference in this one n the one u mentioned except for post-implantaion of embryo..right?
regarding the exact location of defected chromosomes, its already known for most of the disease(the quoted part in ur previous post).what is done is the detection that they are the defected ones or healthy...

Any unhealthy embryos may be discarded, while the remaining healthy embryos are implanted in your uterus.

that means the unhealthy ones cant be made healthy..they are discarded..so as a matter of fact its not a treatment..the only difference is that this discarding takes place outside the body as against the other method...