Why can't Doctor's fix abnormalities in people's DNA to eliminate genetic diseases?
961312
Well, that is the Holy Grail of biochemistry and we've been dreaming of that ever since Dr. Pauling had me researching metabolic diseases, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome in particular.  The problem has been 1) finding the precise genetic coding of the fouled up part of the DNA and 2) devising a mechanism to clip out that nucleic base and replace it with the correct one (or series of bases).  Precision is, of course, vital or you'll kill the experimental animal (or, ultimately, human patient).
302707
Genetic mutations are always a risk when manipulating genes.\nGross malformations can occur, thus making it necessary to imprison/destroy the life created.
186135
Not necessarily. It could be a mutated gene, a side effect of another health issue, or it could be a recessive gene thus making it in fact genetic.
872183
You have 10 to 100 Trillion cells in your body.  Every cell has the same genetic code.  How would you change that code in so many cells?\n\nAdditionally, the genome is turning out to be much more complicated than was thought just a few years ago.  Much of a gene's 'performance' is determined by 'epigenetic' regulation of the gene's expression.  You can have 'normal' genes, but if they are not being expressed properly, that is the same as having defective genes.\n\nThis is a very, very complex issue.
721873
THAT PRETTY LAME IF YOU ASK ME.GENETICS AND GENES AND CHROMOSONES ARE THE CONSTANT ENVIRONMENTMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY OR MAYBE FRIENDLY COMPONETS THAT DESIGN A HUMAN BABY. HOW THE CHILD WILL APPEAR LIKE HAIR COLOR SEX EYE COLOR AND IF THEY CAN HEAR OR SEE ARE ALL GENETICALLY INSPIRED.IF YOUR A MALE TAKE A LOOK AT YOU OWN MOM AND HER DAD.IF YIUR FEMALE LOOK AT YOUR DAD AND HIS MOM.DNA WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YO AND IDEA WHAT YOU WILL APPEAR WHEN YOUR OLDER.
180476
I think the biggest one would be the potential to cure or alleviate suffering from diseases.  Many diseases are encoded in your DNA.  If we could diagnose these conditions in the womb, we would be able to help a lot.
320780
At this point in time it isn't really possible.  in theory it is though.  we can manipulate chromosomes in bacteria and viruses and engineer plants to contain more vitamins or be bacteria resistant but humans are different.  tampering with humans brings up a whole array of ethical questions.  If we were to 'engineer' humans to be faster, smarter and such we would have to select for those traits we want from people who possess these qualities and 'insert' that trait into the chromosome of the subject.  in theory we could do much more with this technology.  Currently this technology is a near vision at best.  \n\n~Chris~
901700
Pro: ?\nCon: 1. Enrichment at the cost of other people will prevail, since only rich people will be able to buy designer babies. 2. More overpopulation. 3. The child will think their parents won't love them for who they are, but for the designed elements. 4. Fetuses will be sacrified for the neccesary experiments.\n\nSomebody wrote that elimination of genetic diseases is a pro. Well, firstly: that's not possible, because of evolution newly genetic diseases will come in place*. Secondly (if it WOULD be possible): overpopulation would be a even bigger problem then it is already at this moment.\n\n*BTW, the same goes for eliminating all current diseases (if it would be possible): the moment that would be the case, new diseases would appear.
699426
We are kinda far from susscessfull traits selection (at least the ones you mentioned). In vitro-fertilization (IVF) allows the doctor to test for more common genetics diseases and sex of the baby. Genetic diseases are cometimes caracterized by a single point mutation in a specific gene and diagnostic test for those are easily available. Therefore couples doing IVF can easily select the sex of the baby and make sure the baby is free of common genetic diseases, or some that would be high risk according to family history. However traits such as the ones you mentioned are still not completely understood, they are very complex and most importantly not really linked no any set of genes in a way that could be easily tested and diagnosed. Even depression seems to be associated with certain genes but are also dependent on environmental factors (enything not genetic such as family life experience food sun exposure etc) since the genes are not enough to predict who has it and who doesn't. So the biggest limitation here is being able to understand how those traits are defined in the genetic level and being able to associate them with specific genes.
905240
Alterations to DNA are called mutations, and they can result in the formation of new characteristics that are heritable, or capable of being inherited.\n\nEvery cell in the body of every living organism contains DNA in threadlike structures called chromosomes. Stretches of DNA that hold coded instructions for the manufacture of specific proteins are known as genes, of which the human race has approximately 40,000 varieties. If the DNA of a particular gene is altered, that gene may become defective, and the protein for which it codes also may be missing or defective. Just one missing or abnormal protein can have an enormous effect on the entire body: albinism, for instance, is the result of one missing protein.\n\nMutations also can be errors in all or part of a chromosome. Humans normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, and an extra chromosome can have a tremendous negative impact. For example, there should be two of chromosome 21, as with all other chromosomes, but if there are three, the result is Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have a unique physical appearance and are developmentally disabled. Nor is an extra chromosome the only chromosomal abnormality that causes problems: if chromosomes 9 and 22 exchange materials, a phenomenon known as translocation, the result can be a certain type of leukemia. Down syndrome also results from translocation.\n\nGerminal mutations are those that occur in the egg or sperm cells and therefore can be passed on to the organism's offspring. Somatic mutations are those that happen in cells other than the sex cells, and they cannot be transmitted to the next generation. This is an important distinction to keep in mind in terms of both the causes and the effects of mutation. If only the somatic cells of the organism are affected, the mutation will not appear in the next generation; on the other hand, if a germinal mutation is involved, what was once an abnormality may become so common in certain populations that it emerges as the norm.\nEvery single human trait—blue eyes, red hair, cystic fibrosis, a second toe longer than the big toe, and so on—is the result of some genetic mutation somewhere back down the line. Traits that are shared by all people must have arisen long ago, while other traits occur only in certain populations of people. Traits may be as innocuous as eye color or hair texture or as grave as a shared tendency toward a particular disease. Cystic fibrosis, for instance, is most common in people of northern European descent, while sickle cell anemia (see Amino Acids) occurs frequently in those of African and Mediterranean ancestry. A fatal disorder known as Tay-Sachs is found primarily in Jewish people whose ancestors came from Eastern Europe. In many cases, the particular mutation, while harmful in one regard, proved to be a useful one for that population. We know, for example, that while two copies of the mutant sickle cell anemia gene cause illness, one copy confers resistance to malaria—a very useful trait to people living in the tropics, where malaria is common.\n\nThe Pima "fat-Storage Mutation."\n\nResearchers have noted a high incidence of obesity among the Pima, a Native American tribe whose ancestral homeland is along the Gila and Salt rivers in Arizona. The Pima tend to eat a diet that is no more fatty than that of the average American—which, of course, means that it is plenty fatty, complete with chips, bologna, ice cream, and all the other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that most Americans consume. But whereas the average American is over-weight, the average Pima is more dramatically so. This suggests that long ago, when the ancestors of the Pima had to face repeated periods of famine in the dry lands of the American Southwest, survival favored the individual or individuals who had a mutation for fat storage. It so happens that today, there is more than enough food at the local supermarket, but by now the Pima as a group has the fat-stora
1094382
How could it be?  Different species are susceptible to different forms of disease, and environmental pollutants, besides having exclusive differences in genetic profiles.  If the testing is to benefit people then the testing should be done on people... with full consent of course.
829462
This should keep you busy for hours.....\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genetic_disorders
154585
Chances of genetic mutation are 100%.  They are happening all the time in your body, but your body fixes them most of the time.  However, sometimes it doesn't catch them and thats when you get cancer.
995002
Mutations occur frequently, not like in the cartoons, but small changes happen in chromosomes that are not inherited from the mother or the father.  Some of them cause terrible diseases, others may not cause problems at all.
417609
Generally the idea is that the DNA does not necessarily have to be introduced into every cell of the human body to cure a disease because not every cell in the body may be affected by the disease. \n\nCurrently the main idea is using viruses which are made harmless to humans. Viruses can insert DNA into their host. They can infect either only a certain cell type or a wide variety. \n\nRead up more detail about viruses used and non-viral options using the link provided or do further research using a search engine. \n\nIf it is a genetically inheritable disease I assume that the best option is if there is a very high risk for the children to have a genetic disease they would try to manipulate the DNA in a fertilized egg, so probably techniques from in-vitro fertilization would be used. Don't know if that works yet, but I am sure there is a website out there which explains that.
1098538
Doctors are taught to treat symptoms not fix problems, it is that simple. The money will stop flowing is you actually fix a problem. It is usually not the doctors fault however, it is how they are trained and it is all most know how to do.
932832
There are no disadvantage if DNA screening is done properly with appropriate controls and that it is not used as the only means.  DNA screen is almost like taking pictures of individuals and some people are going to look alike no matter how you look at the one or two pictures available.  \n\nFor prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases, the tests are likely to ask specific question of known diseases.  Certainly it will not detect diseases that are not well studied.  The ethical issue may come in at what one is ready to do with the prenatal diagnosis.  \n\nThe main concern is that if DNA screening is to be used in ethical or legal issues, we need to make sure that the quality controls are carried out and this must become part of the record and can be reviewed by outside qualified scientist.  The quality control is not there in place, using DNA screen may open to wrong answers.  Si it may depend on the continuous oversight on the methodology and limitation recognized by the investigators regarding their own results.