First-Ever Gene Editing Inside Body Raises Questions About Future of Human Species
NEW YORK—The genetics revolution has begun as scientists now have the ability to “hack the code of all of life, including our own” by manipulating the DNA that makes up the very foundation of our being, according to genome editing expert Jamie Metzl.
Scientists two weeks ago altered the DNA of a patient inside the body for the first time, which is different from therapies used in the last few years where genes are edited outside the body. The procedure comes after a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, was imprisoned in December for making gene-edited babies in 2018.
Metzl, who is an adviser to the World Health Organization’s committee on human genome editing and the author of the book “Hacking Darwin,” says there needs to be a society-wide discussion on the use of gene editing technology.
“We have to be part of that conversation, but to be part of it, everybody has to be educated because what we’re talking about is, in many ways, the future of our species,” Metzl told NTD.
Scientists performed the first procedure to edit a patient’s genes inside the body, or “in vivo,” at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon, on March 4. They treated a patient, who has a rare form of inherited blindness, with a gene editing tool known as CRISPR in an attempt to restore the patient’s vision.
The tool, CRISPR, is likened to a pair of molecular scissors that are able to cut strands of DNA. The tool was developed by mimicking the natural defense mechanisms of bacteria.
This technology allows for a shift in the way health care is delivered, from a generalized approach to one specific to the individual, according to Metzl.
“Now we’re moving to this world of precision medicine and precision healthcare, where decisions will be made not just based on the fact that you’re a human, but based on the fact that you are you,” said Metzl.
He predicts that billions of people will have their entire genomes sequenced in the future.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/first-ever-gene-editing-inside-body-raises-questions-about-future-of-human-species_3280810.html