COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 29 CRISPR system a much easier and reproducible technology from other genome editing tools because of its programmability. Benefits The CRISPR toolset is noteworthy for the number of different scientific advances it may catalyze. Agri- culture and livestock are already benefiting from CRISPR technology. Laboratory and industry-based applications are in place using the CRISPR system to produce hormones, growth factors, and life- saving clotting factors in bacterial systems for human use. There are also studies using CRISPR for HIV treatment with promising results. Additionally, CRISPR- based cancer therapies have been approved for human trials, with the first one approved in 2016 in the United States, followed within the month by Chinese scientists announcing that they will treat lung cancer patients with immune cells modified with CRISPR technology. Further, there are thousands of genetic disorders and diseases for which applications of CRISPR are pivotal. These range from mild disorders, such as color blindness, to serious or fatal diseases, such as hemophilia or Huntington’s disease. As the use of CRISPR increases and our knowledge improves, we could potentially solve other, more complicated topics, such as aging. These medical applications have one thing in common. They are limited to the individual receiving the CRISPR- based therapy unless they are used on reproductive cells or very early embryonic cells. Caution The means to edit the genome of a human embryo already exist and have been attempted a few times, although the technology is still in its early stages. In fact, in 2018, Jiankui He, Ph.D., claimed he em- ployed CRISPR technology to genetically modify human embryos, which resulted in live birth. His purported aim was to make the embryos resistant to HIV infection by altering a gene that encodes for a chemokine receptor called the CCR5 receptor, which the HIV virus uses to dock and enter the host cells. This project shines a light on the ethical perils of this new technology. First, this research used an unproven and poten- tially dangerous method to accomplish something that may be done using other reliable and less risky methods. Second, he didn’t simply edit the genome of an embryo to conduct experiments to test for efficacy and safety. He claims to have implanted those embryos into a womb, thereby creating an unjustifiable risk of potential harm to the children. Third, this genetic edit blurred the distinction between gene therapy to treat disease and genetic enhancement. This distinc- tion marks an important ethical boundary—one which many believe should not be crossed, and certainly not without serious dialogue and consensus. As researchers here at NSU and around the globe begin to explore the uses of CRISPR technology, they must squarely face the important responsibili- ties this new technology creates and demands. While government regulations may mitigate some of the high risks associated with CRISPR technology, it is the research community regulating itself, and each other individually, that is most crucial during this era of human-directed genetic manipulation using the power of CRISPR. o Samiksha Prasad, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of microbiology in the College of Medical Sciences. Vicki Toscano, Ph.D., J.D., is an associate professor of philosophy and legal studies in the Department of History and Political Science in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.