Andorno et al., in their article “Geneva Statement on Heritable Human Genome Editing: The Need for Course Correction” (2020), claim the following. The decision to modify the human genome cannot be legal without broad and essentially meaningful public participation. This decision requires time and thought, as it can seriously affect future generations. Flatow, in his audio podcast “The First CRISPR-Edited Babies, Are (Probably) Here. Now What?” (2018), states the following. He believes that such research involving CRISPR interference with human genes goes beyond the ethical limits of gene-editing technology.
In my judgment, genetic engineering and genome editing need to be approached with the utmost caution. Such interventions in human DNA can benefit, which is especially important for the treatment of rare genetic diseases (Andorno et al., 2020). At the heart of gene editing and understanding why it was needed were studies of bacteria that showed how they developed protection against bacteriophages. This area is up-and-coming and can help humanity eliminate many problems, but people should not forget about prudence.
This study has indisputable advantages, including the birth of two twin girls with resistant immunity to HIV using CRISPR-cas9. In addition, with the help of a modified Ca9 protein, it is possible to turn off genes that interfere with the normal degeneration of cells and lead to malignant formations. That is, the results of this study could potentially help to find a long-awaited cure for cancer (Flatow, 2018). However, there are concerns that such an intervention may lead to the reproduction of new cells becoming even worse. In addition, people should not forget about the ethical side of this issue.
Whether genetic research is a cause for concern is a complex but essential question. Now it is impossible to say that tomorrow people risk getting undesirable consequences of genome editing. Firstly, research is still underway, and people have not had time to do something serious. Secondly, even when the mass application of technology to humans begins, it will be possible to understand the actual consequences only after several generations. So far, scientists are cautiously predicting the likelihood of making such changes to the human genome. It will take a long time before people learn enough about genetic engineering to change their DNA without fear.
References
Andorno, R., Baylis, F., Darnovsky, M., Dickenson, D., Haker, H., Hasson, K.,… & Zuscinova, J. (2020). Geneva statement on heritable human genome editing: the need for course correction. Trends in biotechnology, 38(4), 351-354.
Flatow, I. (Executive Producer). (2018). The First CRISPR-Edited Babies Are (Probably) Here. Now What? [Audio Podcast]. Science Friday. Web.