One of the biotechnology techniques is called CRISPR/Cas9 – sometimes referred to as a “gene editing” technology.

This technique is very new (first described in 2012) but it is already have a large impact on biology and medicine. In late 2018 you may remember news reports about the first “gene edited” babies which were born in China. This resulted from an experimental procedure in which CRISPR/Cas9 was used to carry out gene editing in human embryos. There are several links below to some of the scientific and news articles describing these experiments. 

This news generated quite a bit of controversy.  What do you think about the use of gene editing in humans? Do you think there need to be regulations or controls on the use of this type of technology?  In your post first summarize what you understand about what this technology (CRISPR/Cas9) is and how it works, and then share your thoughts on its use.  

Below are two articles to start your reading on this topic – feel free to share additional resources or articles that you find interesting and helpful.   

Shwartz, M., (2018). Target, Delete, Repair – CRISPR is a revolutionary gene-editing tool, but its not without risk.Stanford Medicine. Retrieved from https://stanmed.stanford.edu/2018winter/CRISPR-for-gene-editing-is-revolutionary-but-it-comes-with-risks.html 

Cyronoski, D., (2019). The CRISPR-baby scandal: what’s next for human gene-editing.  Nature, 566, 440-442 Retrieved from  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00673-1