CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology is a biological system for modifying DNA. Also known as genetic engineering, this technology has the potential to radically change many aspects of the future. CRISPR was discovered in 2012 by molecular biologist Professor Jennifer Doudna. Her team at the University of California in Berkeley examined the processes of how bacteria defend against viral infection. Professor Doudna and her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier are now among the most influential scientists in the world. The natural mechanism they discovered can be potentially used by biologists to make precise changes to DNA. When a bacterium is attacked by a virus, it produces genetic material that matches the genetic sequence of the attacker (Khan et al., 2018). Scientists can now use the same scheme to insert new elements into DNA, remove or fix entire sections to improve characteristics, and cure diseases.
This study raises ethical questions for Marcy Darnovsky, the executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society in San Francisco. In her opinion, the genetic modification of human embryos with insufficient control will lead to genetically modified children created for certain purposes. Many leading scientists in the field are concerned that the technology will potentially be used in the interests of eugenics to create genetic discrimination (Rodríguez‑Rodríguez et al., 2019). In addition, the question arises about the price and availability of this procedure. In theory, all families should have the same prospect to give their child with pathology and vector-borne diseases a chance for future life. However, the price category can divide society into more and less privileged people with limited opportunities. According to Doudna, although regulation of technology is crucial, it is essential to agree and give permission for further actions. The professor believes that this will help terminate numerous diseases, and people should give scientists and doctors a chance to do it (Xu & Li, 2020). At the moment, the technology looks incredibly promising and is already being tested in the treatment of terminal illnesses, including cancer.
References
Khan, S. et al. (2018). CRISPR/Cas9: the Jedi against the dark empire of diseases. Journal of Biomedical Science 25(29). Web.
Rodríguez‑Rodríguez, D. R. et al. (2019). Genome editing: A perspective on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 to study human diseases (Review). International Journal of Molecular Medicine 43(4), 1559–1574.
Xu, Y. & Li, Z. (2020). CRISPR-Cas systems: Overview, innovations and applications in human disease research and gene therapy. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 18, 2401–2415. Web.