Alarmed by Recent Events, Scientists Speak Out Against DIY Gene Therapy

It seems hard to fathom that scientific progress has advanced to a point where it’s suddenly possible for people to undertake something as complicated as gene therapy outside the safety and confines of a well-funded lab, but it has. In just the past few months we’ve seen not one, but two examples of people pursuing unregulated gene therapy. That’s right, people are genetically modifying their bodies in DIY labs and friend’s apartments.

Now, the largest organization of scientists who work in gene and cell therapy have come out against DIY gene therapies. A statement from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy comes on the heels of a stern warning against DIY gene therapy from the US Food and Drug Administration. For years, when it came to biohacking, regulators and establishment science have mainly looked the other way. That seems to be changing.

“As the largest professional society representing gene and cell therapy in the world, ASGCT does not support the practice of unregulated gene therapies because such procedures are potentially dangerous and highly unlikely to provide therapeutic...