Re: [FT][DS][SG][HIST] Just wondering...

>G'day,
>		I've recently finished reading a series of journal
articles and
>conference presentations on human germline engineering, which suggest
that
>its going to be all too real within the next 10-20 years. Given the
recent
>discussion on cramming crews into spaceships, and the fact that I
>personally wouldn't relish the thought of being dressed in power armour
and
>dropped from space, I got to wondering about the use of genetic
engineering
>in the forces of the future. Would germline engineering be used to
increase
>the pool of people who are "different" (as Tom put it) and so can take
>unusual stresses more or less in their stride?

Personally I can't really see this becoming widespread.  Even if we are
talking major time in the future when the human genome is mapped and all
ORFs (genes) are assigned.  Form there we have to go to the genomics
guys
to tell us what genes are on during all stages that we are interested
in.
Say, for example we want to 'build' a better soldier.  First you have to
know exactly what genes you need to turn on/off and or regulate to what
level (e.g.,.  Androgen Receptor - to make a bigger better body- during
foetal development, or HOX genes -increased blood cell/immune response-
during heamatopoeitic development), second you have to know how
regulation
of these genes will affect expression of other gens then you have to
stat
worrying about how the genes are transcribed (proteins made).  Cutting a
lot of steps out, are you making your super soldier in artificial womb,
or
are you using wombs ex-vivo, or are you using a traditional implantation
technology, if you are using the latter how do you control maternal
affects, basically you can't so you have to resort to some type of
artificial technology.	The biggest crux of all of this, that is greater
than the scientific and technological advances requires before this can
even get off the ground, is cost.  My guess is tailor 'making' a human
is
going to be prohibitively costly to waste on 'grunts', even
'super-grunts'.
However, if you look at alternatives I believe they may become a much
more
reasonable alternative.

Technology such as nuclear transfer couples with targeted gene
regulation
(anti-sense regulators, up/down regulation of steroid hormone receptors/
second messengers) offers a much more cost-effective and potentially
reliable method of 'growing' the bodies you need.  This coupled with
advancing knowledge in educational and psychological conditioning may
realistically (and cost-effectively) produce a disposable readily
generated
pool of troops which may be both psychologically and physically
'adapted'
to either combat or harsh environment stresses.

OK, so this is just my opinion, I could be just talking out of my arse
though :-)

Stuart.

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Dr. Stuart Murray

Department Of Molecular Genetics	     Tel: (718) 430 4289
Albert Einstein College Of Medicine	      Fax: (718) 430 8778
1300 Morris Park Avenue 			  email:
smurray@aecom.yu.edu
Bronx
New York 10461

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