The CRISPR Method of Editing Genes

|通过崔西Cothran |

It was big news this week when scientist He Jiankui announced at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing that he’d “CRISPR’d” genes in embryos of twin girls. He claims he edited their genes to make them resistant to HIV, which their father contracted. While He said he was proud of this work, other scientists were not so enthusiastic, raising a host of questions including ethical challenges of “irresponsible experimentation” as well as practical queries, while citing his lack of transparency, too. He’s university, Southern University of Science and Technology in China, has opened an investigation.

CRISPR – the gene-editing technique – makes the news nearly every week, and the issues and debate surrounding its use will only intensify. While scientifically fascinating, altering genes for different purposes creates ethical conundrums, with potentially wide-spread implications. If you edit a gene of an embryo and it causes unforeseen complications for that person later in life, who is responsible? What is an acceptable use for such editing, and what is not? Who makes these ethical and moral decisions? These questions are not relegated to the area of science, as their answers potentially impact everyone on the planet, so it’s important to be up-to-date and informed on this subject.

There’s a lot to unpack, and fortunately, there are Gale resources to help! Gale’s new eBook,遗传学（第二版），可能是你的指导，并与有关这个主题的信息文本，以及那些与它一起，还设有一个1-minute video在CRISPR快速学习。

Science In Context还提供了丰富的信息：

While you’re inScience In Context, you can listen to NPR’s reporting from just days ago,中国科学家说，他创建了第一个转基因婴儿,和阅读所有关于这个主题的文章华盛顿邮报,The peril and promise of gene editing和Scientist’s claim of gene-edited babies creates uproar.

还有许多其他的见地可在基因编辑电子书：

• Read about “Designing Children” inPhilosophy: Technology.安东尼F.海狸。麦克米伦跨学科手册Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA, 2017
• 生物技术的原理克里斯蒂娜A.克劳福德。伊普斯维奇，MA：萨利姆出版社/灰楼，2018。
• Biotechnology for BeginnersArnold L. Demain . 2^ND编辑。英国伦敦：学术出版社，2017年。金宝搏彩票
• Genetic EngineeringJulian Savulescu . Ed. Susan Henneberg .目前争议New York, NY: Greenhaven, 2017.
• Genetics and Medicine下一代医疗技术San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2018.
• How Genetic Research Changed the World如何科学改变世界San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2018.

So whether you’re a layperson interested in the implications of the use of CRISPR, or science student looking for a deep dive into the topic, Gale has the facts you need to keep informed!