UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2020

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?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 2 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer

Correct Answer

1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Germline cells can be genetically modified (e.g., with CRISPR), embryos can be edited at an early stage, and human iPS cells have been injected into pig embryos to make human-pig chimeras. All three statements are correct.

Topics: biotechnology & health, embryo editing & chimeras, gene editing - germline, genetic engineering, science & technology