Centuries of inbreeding have left many dog breeds with a severely limited gene pool, and this lack of genetic diversity is to blame for disorders like brachycephaly in bulldogs, hyperuricemia in dalmations, and cardiomyopathy in boxers.

[David] Ishee is a breeder from rural Mississippi whos on a mission to change all this.

Youd think that to tweak the genome of an animal, some serious training and education would be necessarymaybe a post-graduate biology degree or several years working in the lab of a large genetics company.

But in a prime example of both the democratization and demonetization of technology, Ishee taught himself to do genetic engineering right in his own backyard shed, using a kit and some DNA he ordered online.

In Ishees opinion, genetic engineering and selective breeding arent all that different. CRISPR doesnt allow us to do anything we couldnt do before. Its just a bit easier, cheaper and faster, he said. Breeding gives you a lot less control and fewer degrees of freedom. But as far as the ethics is concerned, youre doing the exact same thing.

When you think about genetic engineering, you think of PhDs in white coats working in multi-million-dollar labs. The idea of a dog breeder in rural Mississippi doing genetic engineering in his shed is insane. But thats how you know youre in the future, right?

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Would You Want a Dog That Was Genetically Engineered to Be Healthier?

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Designer dogs? In pursuit of the perfect, healthy canine companion - Genetic Literacy Project