Consider the following statements:
1. Genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs or sperms of a prospective parent.
2. A person’s genome can be edited before birth at the early embryonic stage.
3. Human induced pluripotent stem cells can be injected into the embryo of a pig.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Recent advancements in gene editing and stem cell biology encompass all three biological procedures:
– Statement 1 is correct: Using precision endonuclease tools like CRISPR-Cas9, germline genetic modifications can be executed in gamete-producing precursor cells (spermatogonial stem cells or oogonial precursor cells) before in-vitro fertilization.
– Statement 2 is correct: Human zygotes and pre-implantation embryos can undergo targeted genome editing at the early blastocyst/cleavage stage to correct monogenic disease mutations before uterine implantation.
– Statement 3 is correct: Biomedical researchers have created interspecies chimeras by microinjecting human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into early pre-implantation pig blastocysts to study organogenesis and cellular differentiation.
Thus, all three statements are correct — Option D.