Genetic Engineering and “My Sister’s Keeper”
April 20, 2009 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Health
It may be unconventional to post a promo trailer on a genetics site, but I’ve been waiting for this film since I first heard of it.
“My Sister’s Keeper” is the story of two young sisters whose lives would be intertwined beyond their control. Kate is the older sister – beautiful, graceful and living with a rare genetic disease called acute promyelocytic leukemia. Anna is three years younger – genetically engineered and conceived to be a genetic match for Kate. Whatever Kate’s body needs – cord blood, blood, bone marrow, kidney – Anna is the donor. How many times can you save your sister’s life?
Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva star in “My Sister’s Keeper”. Image: Bauer Griffin
“Genetically engineered to be a donor” sounds so unethical and far-fetch that it’s the stuff thriller films are made of. I don’t know how close this idea is to real life but the drama comes closer to home when it’s brought in the context of saving one’s family or child.
An adaptation from a novel by Jodi Picoult, “My Sister’s Keeper” gets released to US theaters on 26 June 2009.
It is very possible to genetically manipulate an embryo to be implanted in a mother’s uterus that is of a very specific genetic make-up, hence “genetic engineering.” The concept of this “thriller” movie, funny enough, is not far-fetched.