The Backstory

Then and Now

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats technology and is one of the most important breakthroughs in genetic engineering and biotechnology in the recent past. In nature, bacteria use CRISPR sequences as part of an adaptive immune system against viruses. In the late 1980s when it was discovered up to the early 2000's after further investigation, scientists noted that these sequences actually matched DNA from viruses that had previously infected them. Bacterial RNA molecules made from the CRISPR must attack viral DNA with a view to cutting it off so that it becomes ineffectual during subsequent attacks by those same viruses.

The gene editing potential of this mechanism was demonstrated by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna in 2012 who proved that the CRISPR system (particularly the Cas9 protein) could be reprogrammed using RNA guides to cut at any point in any DNA sequence. This discovery changed CRISPR from being just a bacterial defense mechanism into a flexible and accurate tool for genetic manipulation. Over time, CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to create mutants for target genes as well as modifying genomes of specific tissues like liver and brain tissues.

The Dilemma

The company behind the CRISPR technology was founded in 2013 by Ms. Charpentier, and is now formally known as CRISPR Therapeutics AG. Their mission is "to find cures for people suffering from serious diseases through transformative gene-based medicines. We innovate for the sake of patients and families." Even with this being the focus, technology can always have unintended consequences. The ethical questions must be asked and answered quickly because the possibility of editing human embryos to remove genetic diseases also opens the door to non-therapeutic genetic enhancement, raising more questions about consent, equity, and the nature of human identity.

The debate around this concern intensified following an announcement in 2018 by Chinese scientist He Jiankui. He had created the world’s first CRISPR-edited babies, a move widely condemned by the global scientific community as premature and unethical. The parents of the gene-edited children agreed to the experiment, but this now raises a question related to the rights of these unborn children, or the potential unborn children generations down the line. Many may argue that doing this violates a Natural Right because the children have no choice in the matter whatsoever. There is a possibility that they could be born with an unintended mutation or even develop an issue down the road. The issue now is, “how do we control and monitor this procedure now that it has become public information?”. Countries will have different rules about it and apply it in different ways in the same way that we see other advancements and tech being treated. What is viewed as morally wrong in the West is not entirely consistent around the world among nations. If the procedure is allowed but something goes wrong later on in the child’s life because of the procedure, how does one enact justice for this child. Is it a case of compensatory justice? Or should these decisions be made on a case by case basis. Either way action needs to be taken by CRISPR or governments before exploitations and accidents occur.

Sources:

NCBI - Bioethical Issues In Genome Editing

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CRISPR - Who They Are

Harvard's Perspective On Gene Editing