Genetically modified sexed semen: a simple review about methodology, application and fallouts for present and future generations

The field of animal reproduction especially that dealing with dairy sector, has seen the application of many innovative and sophisticated techniques in the recent past. Sexing semen is one such technology that has attracted the attention equally of dairy professionals and farmers as well. This is based on the principle of flow cytometry combined with the X and Y sperm separation techniques that are available in the domains of standard physics and biological sciences. The well known particle counting machines in fluid media like Coulter Counters are employed in this methodology not primarily to count the particles passing through the medium but instead charging them differentially and then to coordinate and guide their motion to respective electropositive and electronegative sides of such an elaborate set up which also includes equipments like micro jet throwers and laser lights; also involving chemical treatments of sperms with chemicals like fluorescent dyes. The particles in this technology are no doubt the sperm cells and the entire process is based on the assumption that a size difference does exist between X and Y sperms because X sperm have nearly 3.8% more DNA than the Y one. This difference is then utilized in a way to differentiate such sperms, X or Y and assign different charge, positive or negative to them and then direct them to different electric fields and hence separate them. Sperms are very delicate structures and are likely to have their DNA damaged or tempered and hence get genetically modified and impaired and obviously various repercussions of such methodologies are nothing but well known. This will certainly have ominous fallouts for present and future generations.