A Nobel Prize-winning scientific breakthrough has come out on genome editing, getting us closer to science fictional realities. Through the observation of how Cas9 a protein in bacteria cells is used to kill viruses, researchers have re-engineered it as a functional gene-editing tool calling it CRISPR-Cas9, which can be used to re-write deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in all types of cells including human cells.
Sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, huntingtin’s disease, down syndrome, and hemochromatosis will be just a couple of the genetic disorders that Emmanuelle Charpentier, director of Max Planck unit for the science of pathogens, and Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California Berkley will be eliminating through their scissor technology. The technology has the ability to recognize a specific DNA sequence, locate it in the genome and snip it off.
However, with every scientific breakthrough, there is a downside equal or sometimes even more severe to its advantages. In this case, it can be seeking genetic perfection, which might bring up a new form of social eugenics whereby societies become homogenous and diminish diversity.
Therefore, it is vital that everyone should use this technology wisely so that we do not end up in a Gattacan robotic reality. Doudna also emphasizes this in her interview with Berkley News, “I encourage continued support of fundamental science as well as public discourse about the ethical uses and responsible regulation of CRISPR technology.”