Rewriting Our Genes Is Easier Than Ever. That Doesn't Mean We Should Do It.
By Sarah Ruth Bates,
WBUR Boston
| 01. 03. 2020
Gene-editing technologies have huge potential to alleviate human suffering. But, like all very powerful technologies, they also carry enormous risks if used improperly.
In November 2018, a team of scientists in China led by Dr. He Jiankui revealed shocking news at a conference: he’d used CRISPR-Cas9 (often referred to as just CRISPR) to edit the genes of three embryos. Two of the embryos were successfully implanted in a surrogate, resulting in twin girls. Now known only as Nana and Lulu — their identities protected in scientific version of the witness protection program — Dr. He said he’d used CRISPR to immunize the embryos to HIV. But he’d acted against worldwide guidelines and regulations to do so. Those regulations prohibited “germline” edits, or genetic edits that are heritable to the edited organism’s future offspring. (Dr. He and his collaborators were recently sentenced by a court in Shenzhen to three years in prison for conducting "illegal medical practices.")
Let’s back up.
Gene editing is what it sounds like: modifying an organism’s genes. The technology has a massive range of applications, and those...
Related Articles
GeneWatch UK has prepared a briefing on the genetic modification of nature for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress in October 2025
The upcoming Congress claims to be “where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action.” A major concern for those on the outside is that the Congress may advance plans to develop and encourage the use of synthetic biology in nature conservation. This could at first glance sound like...
By Aaron Ginn, The Washington Post | 09.12.2025
Earlier this year, I had dinner in D.C. with Jensen Huang, the president and chief executive of Nvidia. At one point, he said something that struck me: “Why is everyone here so negative?”
He wasn’t referring to the economy...
By Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times | 08.25.2025
Scientists have dreamed for centuries about using animal organs to treat ailing humans. In recent years, those efforts have begun to bear fruit: Researchers have begun transplanting the hearts and kidneys of genetically modified pigs into patients, with varying degrees...
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...