An international scientific conference in Washington DC this week has been considering the ethical and scientific issues surrounding human gene editing technology. CRISPR-Cas9 seems to be the most popular method for adding and deleting specific genes. It can precisely target parts of our genome, either cutting or pasting DNA at very specific locations.
One of the arguments for the use of gene editing is that it gives us a powerful tool to delete the particular genes that cause diseases affecting millions of people all over the world. So gene editing could be used to edit the DNA of an embryo to stop it inheriting a disease like Huntington's.
But there are fears the same technique could be used to change a person's genes to make them taller or smarter. As you can imagine gene editing is becoming a pretty controversial topic.
Simon Morton talks with Sara Reardon – a reporter for Nature magazine who's been attending the international summit on human gene editing.
Photo: Public Domain
