A guide to CRISPR, the human gene-editing tool that has scientists excited — and terrified
info@thesechristiantimes.com | May 07, 2015
VOX.COM: 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
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1 comment:
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