Manipulating Life at Its Beginning

Abstract

Academic researchers, national labs, and private labs worldwide are experimenting with CRISPR-based gene editing. They are editing mice genes to make the mice better models for human disease research. They are editing mosquito genes to make them less able to carry the malaria parasite. Scientists are also experimenting with editing human somatic cells (cells that are not reproductive cells or embryonic stem cells). Because gene-edited somatic cells live and die inside our bodies and are not passed on to our offspring, there is little chance of passing on unintended consequences. It is tempting to say that those raising the alarm over CRISPR are overreacting. But the alarm isn’t only about CRISPR; it’s about the steady march of science, which clearly illustrates man’s determined pursuit of ways to manipulate life at its earliest stages. It is foolish to think that this trend will stall or reverse without some external motivator.