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Human Genome Editing Controversy

Advances in molecular biology have brought medical science to a quantum leap. The advancement of science and technology is like a double-edged sword. It can be a blessing for humanity, but it can also be a disaster. This is the story of a secret experiment in China that has shocked the medical community and led to the imprisonment of its researcher. In 2018, He Jiankui, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, conducted an experiment to edit the genes or DNA of an embryo carried by a woman whose husband had HIV. Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) technology, He edited the gene encoding CCR5, which is a receptor or entry point for the HIV virus into human body cells.

New Hope for Kidney Failure Patients

The success of the genetically engineered pig kidney transplant is a major breakthrough for the world of medicine and molecular biology. The world of medicine continues to develop, bringing new hope, including for patients with kidney failure. Not long ago, on March 16, 2024, a team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, successfully performed a genetically engineered pig kidney transplant into the body of Richard Slayman, a 62-year-old male patient. At that time, Richard felt happy and enthusiastic because he regained a normally functioning kidney and no longer had to undergo routine dialysis that had burdened him for years. This is the first successful attempt, as previous pig-to-human kidney transplants have always failed. In 2018, Richard had actually undergone a human kidney transplant from a deceased donor.

Depopulation and the Threat of Demographic Disaster

Without access to quality education, especially vocational education, the demographic bonus is at risk of being missed. The problem depopulation not only affects Japan, South Korea and Singapore, but also China. Have these symptoms also spread to Indonesia? Japan is a prosperous and advanced country with a culture of hard work, discipline, and admirable ethics. Its industries are advanced, and the per capita income of its citizens is high. The education and healthcare services offered by the country are also good. As a result, the life expectancy of its citizens is higher compared to most other countries. In Japan, it is very common to find elderly citizens who are still healthy. In terms of demographics, the number of elderly citizens is quite large. Therefore, the national age of Japanese citizens is increasing.

Diving into the Presidential Candidate's Science and Technology Vision

Since the Soeharto era until today we have not been able to produce fully domestically produced cars and motorbikes. The issue of social welfare, education, culture, information technology, health, labor, human resources, and inclusion became the topic of debate for the presidential candidates on February 4th. What is the position of iptek (science and technology) in this debate? We can see that the science and technology material was only one small point inserted in the last debate session, and it was only limited to information technology (IT). This illustrates that science and technology is not considered an important issue worthy of being debated by presidential candidates in the presidential election contestation.

Tug of War on Excise on Sweetened Drinks

The postponement of the imposition of MBDK excise rates certainly disappoints health practitioners. Even though the plan to impose excise on MBDK is a progressive policy, it is believed that it will be effective in controlling the consumption of sweet drinks. Suddenly the government again postponed the implementation of excise on sweetened drinks in packaging or MBDK. The policy intended to control the increase in the number of people suffering from obesity and diabetes has been postponed until next year. That is, if it is not postponed again. Actually, through Presidential Regulation Number 130 of 2022 regarding the Details of the State Budget for the 2023 Fiscal Year, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has instructed the Ministry of Finance to implement excise taxes on MBDK products starting this year.