Cutting edge reproduction

Coming up

• Reading for Monday:  some initial puzzles about selective reproduction -- do your best with it
• Movie:  make sure you watch Gattacca for Wednesday.  There will be homework on it.
• Paper assignment:  tab above

Today:  controlling pregnancy outcome

• avoiding disabilities (Feb 26, 28)
• pursuing disabilities (Mar 3)
• choosing gender (Mar 5, 7)
• pursuing assets  (Mar 17, 19, 21)
• today:  just the science/technology   (MORE BELOW)

Before conception

1. Timing--delay if taking teratogenic drug, such as accutane
2. Choose specific sperm donor -- California Cryobank website (watch video)
3. Choose specific egg donor -- Fairfax Egg Bank website 
4. Choose specific mate -- do we all (unconsciously?) select the traits of our future children?
5. Genetic screening -- Counsyl website (watch video)
6. Genetic counseling -- example (Warwick Davis)
   
7. Sperm sorting for gender selection -- Microsort 

Before implantation (embryos up to about 3rd day)

1. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) -What is PGD?   How is it done?

• can discern gender
• can detect many inherited diseases -- e.g. cystic fibrosis
• can detect some non-inherited diseases (e.g. down's syndrome, most achondroplasia) More info here
• can detect certain genes that increase cancer risk
• in principle, could detect assets too
• PREVENTION: discard embryos (What is an embryo at this point?  We discussed here.)

Before birth (low tech)

1. Prenatal care

• stop smoking
• stop drinking (prevents fetal alcohol syndrome)
• avoid teratogenic drugs (e.g. accutane)
• good nutrition (taking certain vitamins prevents spina bifida)

Prenatal testing

1. maternal blood tests -- NYT article
2. end of first trimester -- chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
3. 20 weeks -- amniocentesis
4. throughout pregnancy -- ultrasound -- can detect non-genetic problems like conjoined twins

• PREVENTION: abortion  (Warwick Davis example)

 Other:  cloning

1. Sheep and many other species have been cloned
2. How it works -- here
3. My clone is essentially my delayed identical twin (starts as embryo)
4. Instead of buying sperm or eggs, you could buy clone of someone you admire

Other:  genetic engineering

1. genes inserted or deleted 
2. glow in the dark cats
   
3. building a better baby