The genetic mistakes that could shape our species
BBCThe genetic mistakes that could shape our species Getty Images New technologies may have already introduced genetic errors to the human gene pool. If reproductive cells did end up being altered, "certainly, we would have individuals that have new gene variants that could be potentially very problematic", says Saha, who says he has colleagues who don't think it will ever be possible to get the risk down to zero – though he also has colleagues who are more optimistic. At the moment, most gene editing involves "Crispr" – a set of genetic scissors first developed by the Nobel-prize winning scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna in 2012. First up, it's not certain that somatic cell editing would necessarily alter reproductive cells – it's just a theoretical possibility. "I'm surprised every day, but how many different functions genes have – I try to be as humble as possible in terms of assuming that I know everything that a particular gene variant mutation would do in a human cell," he says.
History of this topic
For first time ever, scientists are able to edit DNA in human embryos through CRISPR technique!
India TV News
Gene editing could bring an end to all inherited disease and cancer, expert says
The Independent
America Needs to Figure Out the Ethics of Gene Editing Now
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