You probably know about CRISPR-Cas9. It’s the recently developed method for genetic engineering that’s brought costs down by 99%, and the time it takes to modify genes from years to weeks. For some people, it’s a thrilling gateway to a disease-free future, increased lifespans, and babies made to order…To others, it’s a terrifying development with the potential for unstoppable bio-weapons, a corrupted human genome, and babies made to order. The ethical issues of working out CRISPR’s bugs on humans has been an area of universal concern and caution, but now a group in China has announced that on October 28 they modified a living human’s genes for the first time anywhere using the method. And it’s about to be done in the U.S.
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Immunologist Carl June, the scientific advisor for America’s upcoming trials, told Nature his feeling about China’s groundbreaking first step: “I think this is going to trigger ‘Sputnik 2.0’, a biomedical duel on progress between China and the United States, which is important since competition usually improves the end product…”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: China’s Already Tested CRISPR on A Human, and the U.S. Is Next
