claim: Superhuman abilities may result from human enhancement by genetic modification using CRISPR technology.
evidence: Systemic primary carnitine deficiency -LRB- SPCD -RRB- , also known as carnitine uptake defect , carnitine transporter deficiency -LRB- CTD -RRB- or systemic carnitine deficiency is an inborn error of fatty acid transport caused by a defect in the transporter responsible for moving carnitine across the plasma membrane .. carnitine. carnitine. plasma membrane. plasma membrane. plasma. blood plasma. Carnitine is an important amino acid for fatty acid metabolism .. Carnitine. Carnitine. When carnitine can not be transported into tissues , fatty acid oxidation is impaired , leading to a variety of symptoms such as chronic muscle weakness , cardiomyopathy , hypoglycemia and liver dysfunction .. carnitine. carnitine. fatty acid oxidation. fatty acid oxidation. cardiomyopathy. cardiomyopathy. hypoglycemia. hypoglycemia. The specific transporter involved with SPCD is OCTN2 , coded for by the SLC22A5 gene located on chromosome 5 .. SLC22A5. SLC22A5. chromosome 5. chromosome 5 ( human ). SPCD is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner , with mutated alleles coming from both parents .. autosomal recessive. autosomal recessive. Acute episodes due to SPCD are often preceded by metabolic stress such as extended fasting , infections or vomiting .. Cardiomyopathy can develop in the absence of an acute episode , and can result in death .. SPCD leads to increased carnitine excretion in the urine and low levels in plasma .. carnitine. carnitine. plasma. blood plasma. In most locations with expanded newborn screening , SPCD can be identified and treated shortly after birth .. newborn screening. newborn screening. Treatment with high doses of carnitine supplementation is effective , but needs to be rigorously maintained for life .. carnitine. carnitine. SPCD is more common in the Faroe Islands than in other countries , at least one out of every 1000 inhabitants of the Faroes has the illness , while the numbers for other countries are one in every 100,000 .. Faroe Islands. Faroe Islands. Around 100 persons in the islands have been diagnosed , around one third of the whole population of 48,000 people have been screened for SPCD .. Several young Faroese people and children have died a sudden death with cardiac arrest because of SPCD .. Scientists believe that around 10 % of the Faroese population are carriers of the gene for SPCD .. These people are not ill , but may have a lower amount of carnitine in their blood than non-carriers .. carnitine. carnitine