The Ethics of Gene Editing

The genome is the blueprint of our being. Each person's genome comprises 20,000 to 25,000 genes, which define our physical traits, immunity, and even some of our abilities. Genes are made up of strands of DNA, and much like words, a change in just one letter can change the whole meaning of a gene. In fact, such a microscopic mutation in one gene can sometimes translate into a serious genetic illness.

Gene therapy is the introduction, removal, or change of DNA strands to repair or alter a gene and thus cure a genetic illness. This kind of treatment has been accelerated by the discovery of CRISPR (an acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), a protein that cuts targeted strands of DNA with unprecedented precision, faster, cheaper, and more efficiently than ever before.

The groundbreaking discovery of CRISPR has the potential to cure and even prevent at least 8,000 genetic diseases that afflict people with cancer, hemophilia, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis, among many other lifetime diseases. We have the knowledge to cure thousands of people severely suffering from genetic diseases, yet many oppose this cure, which they dismiss as "unethical." Are we "playing God" by attempting to alter our genetic code? Is changing the very nature of our being justified by the fact of sparing a person from a psychologically and physically painful disease?

CRISPR's potential in genetic engineering gives us immense power to make people's lives better, but comes with significant risks if it were to get out of line. Adopting CRISPR gene therapy threatens to open a Pandora's box with chilling consequences.

For one thing, biohackers could use CRISPR gene editing methods to enhance their abilities or alter their traits. Biohackers believe that we do not need to accept our bodies' shortcomings if we can engineer our way past them and boost our physical and cognitive performance. However, this philosophy could cause significant harm in the hands of inexperienced and reckless ordinary people. One such example is biohacker Josiah Zayner, who injected himself with DNA from CRISPR gene-editing technology at a biotech conference while live-streaming his experiment. Zayner has now become a biohacking celebrity with thousands of followers. Strongly advocating for the "democratization" of such a powerful technology, Zayner founded The Odin. This garage-run company sells biohacking supplies ranging from 20 dollar DNA to an 1849 dollar DIY genetic engineering kit. Although he is currently under investigation for practicing medicine without a license, his company is still running. Biohackers are still conducting experiments with insufficient knowledge of the technology, which could seriously harm their health. This example illustrates the dangers of making CRISPR technology widely accessible due to its potential to be used for self-enhancing purposes.

Moreover, another essential risk accompanying the widespread adoption of CRISPR technology would be its application for germline gene editing. Germline gene editing is the process by which an individual's genome is edited so that the change is heritable. This is achieved through genetic alterations within the germ cells or the reproductive cells, such as the egg and sperm. This kind of treatment would affect the adult receiving it and their future offspring. By altering the genetic makeup of entire generations, this application of CRISPR technology threatens to exacerbate existing inequalities between families who could afford germline gene therapy and those who could not.

Despite these frightening potential threats, I believe that CRISPR gene therapy could be a game-changer in treating genetic diseases more efficiently and painlessly than other medications, chemotherapy, and other existing treatments currently do. Nevertheless, the applications of CRISPR gene editing should be strictly regulated and limited to modifying somatic cells (all cells apart from reproductive cells). Somatic gene editing is not inheritable and would thus act as a promising analogous treatment for the adult undergoing the therapy. As long as caution and regulation are applied to control such a powerful technology, its effect could be a great relief for suffering patients worldwide.