CRISPR-Cas9 and it’s Possible Impact on the Medical Field (Research)

With recent advances in gene editing technology a new world of possibilities that seem like science fiction is introduced. Something debated in this field is how much of this should be allowed, whether or not certain ethical guidelines should be created, and if so to what extent. For example most people know of the cloned sheep Dolly. There is technology to apply this to humans available, but a line was drawn and that did not further advance, in America at least.

Now with the creation of CRISPR-Cas9 and other promising technologies like these, it would be possible to do a lot more than just cloning, so how we proceed is critical. So far these technologies are projected to have great uses in somatic cell editing, but this same technology can be applied to germline cells. Now the idea emerges of being able to edit a baby before it is born. So first of all this raises the question of whether or not we should eliminate genetic diseases before birth, which seems harmless enough. Of course as there is with any technologies like this there are more questions and concerns relating to what this would look like but looking at it generally I think the elimination of genetic engineering with these programs is something that we should move forward with.

Beyond that however, the possibility of editing other traits like height, eye color and maybe even intelligence comes into question. Aside from the disease curing aspect of gene editing, the idea of being able to edit one’s children much farther is a whole new world. At first glance it may seem like this could further the human race and in an ideal world it probably could, but I don’t think that this technology could possibly be used in a completely ethical and unbiased way. There are so many new questions that can’t be managed perfectly and could create divide and disadvantage such as who gets to use this technology, how much it should cost, and what is off the table. We could probably find ways to regulate use of the technology in this way for a while, but problems would emerge eventually it seems inevitable.

Sources :

“What Are Genome Editing and CRISPR-Cas9?: MedlinePlus Genetics.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Sept. 2020, medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/.