Gene edited babies

CRISPR technology has gained a large popularity in the recent years. CRISPR is a technique in which a particular gene can be cut and pasted. It is like a targeted DNA destroying system which can be found in prokaryotes. There have been several trials on humans for major diseases like cancer, blindness and more. However, recently a Chinese scientist shocked the scientific world by illegally carrying out gene editing of human embryo intended for reproduction (“China jail’s scientist who gene-edited babies”, Dec.31,2019, Gulf Today).

He tried to claim that he was the first one to gene edit the twins who were now immune to HIV. CRISPR though looks like a simple and feasible methods, it in fact isn’t. It is an imperfect tool because it can lead to unwanted edits, thus making its use in humans largely controversial.

Vedant Lal
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