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Designing humans may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the technology that enables selective genetic modification to become a reality is here.
CRISPR Cas9 is a genetic engineering technique lauded by Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers in this field, as a potential cure-all for genetic disease.
This powerful statement could change the lives of millions if proven true.
We have the capacity to read the genetic sequence, but we have only been able to efficiently read it, not write it.
With CRISPR we will be able to cut and paste DNA sequence with high levels of specificity.
Any science fiction nerd like myself can tell you the era of genetically modified humans has been imagined and discussed long before its reality. Now that the possibility is here, it is even more difficult to decide how excited I should be.
One research team has already shown that CRISPR can be used to remove integrated HIV DNA from human cells. Point mutations such as color blindness, Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis are some of the likely initial targets for CRISPR, but more complex human traits such as height and intelligence could also be modified as understanding of what specific genes comprise these traits become known.
Having the ability to end the pain and suffering of so many is exciting beyond the shadow of a doubt. It is these latter modifications and the potential to create “designer humans” that generates significant ethical concerns for the future implementation of these techniques. Where do we draw the line? How much modification is too much? What will become of our natural human diversity in the hands of scientists who can now truly play God?
As ESU faculty in the Biological Sciences, the department strives to remain competitive and to maintain a level of excellence within the scientific community. It is to be expected that the question of how, when and to what degree ESU will join in the CRISPR conversation will arise.
Even so, advancements in this field are progressing faster than regulations governing it. It is important that we as a species tread carefully, yet hopefully, into this new era of genetic mastery.