We need to talk about gene editing

Gene editing as a medical tool is closer than we think, and it’s time to shift the conversation. Changing our genome is no longer just a sci-fi fantasy, and it needs to be talked about.  In a few years time, our generation is going to have to make tough decisions, and face the myriad of moral dilemmas that follow.

Since its discovery in 1987, the technology commonly referred to as CRISPR has dramatically changed the field of gene editing. In the next few decades it could potentially come to serve as a dominant technology in curing many diseases, many we currently consider to be incurable. However, to get there we must make some very difficult decisions that could influence how we see ourselves as humans.

The technology commonly referred to as CRISPR has dramatically changed the field of gene editing…

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is essentially a programmable gene-editing tool taken from a specific bacterium. When coupled with a targeting system called Cas9 it gives scientists unprecedented control and unmatched precision over cutting out and replacing specific parts of DNA. It is revolutionary because it is much faster and much cheaper than its predecessors.

By using CRISPR, scientists could theoretically change how we look, how we’re built, and ultimately how we think. The main reason it raises so many moral questions is that if used on embryo cells it would eventually change the human genome. Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer of genetic technology famously said: “The idea that you would affect evolution is a profound thing.”

It has enormous potential in medical science, something already proven by recent research…

Movies like The Fly and Gattaca have made us criticize gene editing as a possible tool of the future. Many fear it, and with legitimate cause, because it could have detrimental effects. Nevertheless, it also has enormous potential in medical science, something already proven by recent research.

So far, scientists have changed nonviable human embryos, cured mice of muscular dystrophy and created beefy beagles with the help of CRISPR. Not so long ago, an infant was cured of leukaemia with a similar technique called TALEN when her doctors ran out of alternatives. Finally, this year a company called Editas Medicine announced that they would be using CRISPR before the new year to treat a rare form of blindness.

Naturally, all this progress has not gone without criticism…

Naturally, all this progress has not gone without criticism. An international moratorium was held in 2015 by the world’s leading scientists, calling for a halt in gene editing research until more data can be analysed concerning its possible side effects and  potential applications. The list of issues is long but here are a few of the main points.

We don’t know if editing the genome could have side effects that only surface years or even decades into the future. It is also possible that editing something on the embryo level may cure this generation but have negative impacts on the next. Genetic research still has many unanswered questions. And the most talked about issue is to what extent are we willing to change our genome.

We should proceed cautiously, but make the necessary decisions…

To most people, curing Alzheimer’s or eradicating malaria would seem like a great idea. But what about giving our children a stronger immune system or enhancing their metabolism to fight diseases more effectively? And while we’re at it, why not give them more muscles and bigger bones? Maybe less fat, better eyesight, and prettier hair? This leads many to fear the age of ‘designer babies’ , or in other words buying customized children. Not to mention the issues that would arise with prolonging the lifespan of the population and the additional resources this would require…

While it is often controversial, we already do some selecting on genetic grounds, so this is not exactly a new thing. But now we have the chance to fundamentally change how we look at disease and give families a healthy future that we never imagined possible. For this we should proceed cautiously, but make the necessary decisions and collectively decide on how far we are willing to go.