Researchers are starting to harness the potential of this much-hyped gene editing technique – with coming applications in medicine, biology and agriculture.
Taking the deadly bit out of mosquitoes.
Flickr/Erik F Brandsborg
It’s possible to alter the make-up of a species such as a mosquito’s ability to pass on the deadly malaria parasite. But we need to consider the pros and cons of such gene editing technology.
Human oocyte in vitro fertilization.
Ziess Microscopy/Flickr
Controversy over a Chinese study that used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology shows how the West still looks at the East through the lens of Orientalism.
Gene editing technology may soon prevent the formation of sickle-shaped red blood cells in a common and deadly form of anaemia.
Shutterstock/Uber Images
Regulations, funding and public opinion around genetically enhancing future generations vary from country to country. Here’s why China may be poised to be the pioneer.
Somatic embryogenesis is only used in selected agroforestry industries like sugarcane.
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Look beyond transgenic techniques that add new genes to a species. People have used selective breeding techniques to change plants and animals for millennia – why not try them on mosquitoes?
A patent has far-reaching implications for future research.
ReubenGBrewer
U.C. Berkeley and the Broad Institute are fighting to control the patents on the revolutionary gene-editing technology. But there’s a lot more at stake than just who gets the credit and licensing fees.
Sorting pupae of genetically modified mosquitoes before release to the wild.
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
Insecticides and mosquito nets only get you so far. Synthetic biologists are ready to take the battle against mosquito-borne disease to the level of DNA – which might spell the insects’ ultimate doom.
Cutting and pasting DNA – it’s a bit like fitting in LEGO blocks.
Bush 41 Library/Flickr
The International Summit on Human Gene Editing drew a distinction between editing an individual’s body cells and editing germline cells that would pass changes to future generations. Does that make sense?
The cultivation of pig organs for human transplantation carries great risk and promise.
CAFNR/flickr
Public attention is focused on whether we should use gene editing technology on embryos, but it could potentially have a bigger and more immediate impact on human health via animal organ donation.
As we consider the ethics of human gene editing, we need to understand what can and can’t be meaningfully edited.
Future people would be grateful if their disease is cured, rather than being replaced by a different healthier or non-disabled person.
sabianmaggy/Flickr
Experts from around the world are in the US to discuss the scientific, ethical and governance issues linked to human gene editing. Here are five reasons they shouldn’t ban research in the field.
The real question is not whether gene editing should be allowed or banned, but how it should be regulated.
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The debate about regulating gene editing technology is often couched in polar terms, but understanding degrees of regulation that might be a better approach.
The ethics of genetically modified mosquitoes and the gene-drive technology that seeks to spread them.
Gene editing allows us to eliminate any misspellings, introduce beneficial natural variants, or perhaps cut out or insert new genes.
Libertas Academica/Flickr
Should the gathering of experts from around the world that’s considering the scientific, ethical, and governance issues linked to research into gene editing ring alarm bells?
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford