#CRISPRbabies: What's the future of gene editing? | The Stream

A Chinese scientist claims to have created the world's first genetically edited babies: Twin girls who are resistant to HIV. The results of He Jiankui’s experiment have yet to be independently verified, but have nonetheless sparked condemnation in the scientific community and conversations about how a powerful gene editing tool known as CRISPR should be used.

He's gene editing was carried out in secret and ignored international norms for embryonic experiments. His announcement at a global gene editing conference in Hong Kong last week shocked scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore, who called He's scientific claim a "failure of self-regulation by the scientific community".

CRISPR gene editing is considered controversial because edits made to the genome could be passed on to future generations. Scientists are currently exploring ways to use gene editing to prevent incurable hereditary diseases such as Alzheimer's and ALS.

What else could gene editing achieve and what are the ethical and safety issues that need to be considered before it is applied in more humans?

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[ASLUHLUHC]

Like these interactive Youtube live streams Al Jazeera. Keep it up! :)

[ASLUHLUHC]

Trying to separate the treatment of diseases from enhancement is futile. When CRISPR embryos become the norm, there's no going back. Before long, it would be argued that it's unethical to NOT give babies desireable traits.

[JL-nuob]

Different countries had different laws. You can exert your opinion on gene editing but the ultimate results law dependent and country dependent. Gene editing in various forms is beyond anyone's control. How we damage control it is important

[vlado]

Thank You very much dear Al Jazeera for Your attention and for Your very important job !
As always, Your journalistic and informational work at the level of jewelry !
With sincere respect and dedication to Your Channel, Vl'ado.
Dec 06, 2018 and forever.

[vlado]

Thank You dear Al Jazeera for this unique information and for this helpful video !
Wait and see .

[lanaworld]

So many ethical laws will be broken and its sad we live in a world where people only want to see a dominant group succeed so if you have this type of Technology wouldn't that mean you're eventually going to cut out other demographics if the power is in your hand to edit how someone looks how someone will be immune to diseases. This will also play in the way of social economics ...who's really going to be able to afford this type of editing ..only a small selective group And in regards to the babies becoming immune to the HIV virus that does not change the fact that they can they can still have contact with so many other disease and infections and at what cost is their immunity?

[PrimiusLovin]

Who can guarantee that this technology is in a safe place and that it will never fall in the wrong hands and, if it's already been used, it's not being covered up until something goes wrong (and we'll never know about it) or we'll just know about it when it was proven successful in some way?

[mattsherv]

The near future is scary! We must stand against this!

[JL-nuob]

We allow GMO farm produce and human consume it. GMO food incorporate with human gene and allow gene editing at food level. GMO food will have far devastation effect than direct gene editing itself. Think about that .
Also we have specific herbicides, pesticides, disease resistant crop that is a result of gene editing.

[batgirlp]

Im sure the Genomics institute has had this information for use and refused to use it.

[inaamulhassanjaffer]

New scientific research, as always, controversial at first, but later the norm!

[brysonbell]

There is so much negativity towards doing this. All these people keep saying is I want credit as a collective not an individual getting all the fame. Congradulate the man. Drug companies will rethink strategy yes but that's life... it's about change.

[gb-channel]

Well.. I am sceptic about it, I claim my right to have scepticism.

[hassanahmed]

Ooh! this is very interesting thing where is my friend Jim'aale plz join soon

[dushiIshud]

This is just the begining, when they make such movies of genetic enhancements shit that give people those crazy ideas .... #crazysmartshithappens

[jasongibson]

What's the thinking on if bodies electrically generate souls?

[jamesedwardsiii]

Watch the movie "GATTACA". It covers this exact subject and is an absolutely fantastic movie on top of it! Very Cathartic.

[SushilSingh]

CRISPR-CAS9 i Would like to name this as The Devil Device #CRISPR

[soulcutters]

Crisperbaby? Isn’t it a real baby or what? XD gene?

[GalabuziX]

Had this break-through been reached on by a white European, then the discourse would be different and not sad!! Europeans have been editing genes for some time!