New discoveries in gene editing technology, Crispr, could help doctors and scientists understand and cure diseases as well as human genetic mutations
Recent developments in a study conducted by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, who were awarded the 2020 Nobel prize in Chemistry, of Crispr Cas9, concluded that it can be used as a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA – the molecule that carries genetic instructions) repair mechanism. Crispr Cas9 is a technology that allows the editing of genetic data either by adding or modifying the DNA. The protein, Cas9, is vital for targeting and cutting out foreign DNA such as that of DNA viruses, for example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis B.
With this understanding Crispr can not only be used to cure diseases but also to fix genetic mutations such as sickle cell anemia. In 2019, Victoria Gray became the first US citizen to undergo Crispr gene editing to treat her sickle cell disease. The treatment was successful and is being used on other patients suffering from the same condition.
Using gene editing technology to cure such conditions in somatic cells has been widely adopted by scientists, researchers, and doctors. However, there are still ethical questions surrounding the use of Crispr in germ cells, which are reproductive cells. According to a lecture by Jennifer Doudna detailing the findings of Crispr Cas9, released by the Nobel Prize website on Tuesday December 8th, 2020, using Crispr in germ cells can have lasting effects on the human race. This is because when editing DNA in somatic cells, which are the basic cells that make up an organism, the effects are not heritable and only affect the individual, but this is not the case for germ cells. Doudna explains that “If genome edits are introduced into a germ cell, they have the potential to be heritable and to introduce changes that become part of not only an individual but all of that individual’s progeny.”
There have been scandals surrounding Crispr research in reproductive cells. According to an article by Scientific American, in November 2018, biophysicist He Jiankui, announced that he had altered embryos using gene editing “To make them less susceptible to contracting HIV.” The biophysicist who worked at a local university was fired, fined, and sentenced to three years in prison as his action were deemed risky and unethical. According to an article by Nature, his actions resulted in the shortening of the lifespans of the children born from his edited embryos.