Using genetics for enhancement (liberal eugenics)

The fascinating progress of genetics has led to great achievements in the modern, medical, and nonmedical sciences. Genetic engineering is used in many fields, among which human enhancement is one of the most controversial. Most bioethicists agree on the definition of human enhancement as a physical, cognitive, or moral improvement. Genetic enhancement refers to the introduction of the changes into a genome or epigenome intended to improve nonpathological human traits. It is expected that implementation of genetic enhancement will be reached through the discovery of markers in enhancement related genes, such as athletic performance- or aging-related genes, but also through the development of approaches characteristic for personalized medicine, such as gene enhancement, molecular-targeted enhancement, and cellular enhancement. However, we should be aware that genetic enhancement creates significant ethical and regulatory challenges. Prompt and thorough discussion between liberal eugenicists and bioconservatives is indispensable, because genetics is moving extremely fast toward human genetic enhancement