We are now one step closer to designer babies. Using a technique called CRISPR, geneticists in China recently modified the DNA of nonviable human embryos and published the results in the journal Protein & Cell.
Editing the genetic material of human embryos was a first — and the April 18 publication of the results set off a cascade of awe and controversy.
"While these embryos will not be growing up into genetically modified people," science journalist Carl Zimmer wrote in National Geographic, "I suspect this week will go down as a pivotal moment in the history of medicine."
Some observers highlighted the potential upsides of this type of DNA modification. One cell researcher told Forbes that CRISPR technology might someday help people "suffering from blood diseases like Beta thalassemia and leukemia, [since they] could have their blood cells’ DNA fixed." Others suggested CRISPR could help tackle infectious diseases, "possibly providing a way to make more specific antibiotics that target only disease-causing bacterial strains while sparing beneficial bacteria," according to Ekaterina Pak, a Harvard PhD student.
Paul Knoepfler, an associate professor at UC Davis School of Medicine, says CRISPR makes him feel like a "kid in a candy store." He can run genetic engineering experiments faster and more cheaply than he ever could before, and can use the technology to better understand the causes of disease.
Critics, however, worry that the CRISPR experiment on human embryos brought us one step closer to a Gattaca-like dystopia involving mass human engineering. Still others fretted about safety and wondered whether ethical boundaries were being crossed.
Since you’ll almost certainly be hearing a lot more about CRISPR in the months and years to come, here are some basic facts to keep in mind:
To read more, click here.