Hot Topics in Science: Our Review of 2015 (2/5)

15th December 2015 - Last modified 28th November 2023

Written by Isabel Goodhand.

Hot Topic #2: Treading Carefully in the Era of Gene Editing.

Chances are if you’ve picked up any life science journal this year you will already be well acquainted with the revolutionary CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique. Its commercialisation has led to cutting-edge applications throughout disease research and embryology, and has even been involved in work looking to revive the woolly mammoth.¹ Yet this powerful gene editing tool also raises considerable ethical concerns, especially when it comes to germline manipulations. As a novel technique, the laws regarding its use vary significantly from country to country, and moving into the future a fair amount of ironing out is necessary. To this end, an international summit took place at the beginning of this month (1-3^rd December).² The Gene-Editing Initiative brought together global leaders in the field from the more than 20 countries, and it will be interesting to see what came of these discussions.

References:

1. 1. The Long Now Foundation. 2015. Woolly Mammoth Revival. [ONLINE] Available at: http://longnow.org/revive/projects/woolly-mammoth/. [Accessed 11 December 15].
2. 2. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine; Human Gene-Editing Initiative. 2015. International Summit on Human Gene Editing. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nationalacademies.org/gene-editing/Gene-Edit-Summit/index.htm. [Accessed 11 December 15].

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