WP1

“Genes Exposed” Podcast Script

MARY ALICHE, host:

This is CRISPR UPDATES. I am Mary Aliche, live from Santa Barbara, and on today’s episode

we will be discussing gene editing and the moral dilemma surrounding the topic. For our

listeners that aren't familiar with the topic of gene editing I will give a brief summary. For over a

century gene editing and what it could do to the human race has been on the forefront of many

scientists minds. In the past few years, some technology has been developed that may give us the

power to modify the human genome. This is where the ethics come into play.

With me today is Michael Norris. He is an expert on current genetic research, and he will help us

discuss the ethical dilemma that is being faced.

Norris: Thank you for having me, I’m very excited to be here today. I’m eager to discuss the

ethics behind all of this with people that don’t work in my lab.

Mary: Glad to hear because we have a lot of listeners that aren’t familiar with this topic and

have tuned in just to hear your take on the matter. No pressure haha. Ok, let's get into it. When

did the ethical debate start?

Norris: To start, CRISPR is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic

organisms like bacteria and archaea. These sequences are derived from DNA fragments of

bacteriophages that had previously infected the prokaryote. They are used to detect and destroy

DNA from similar bacteriophages during following infections. CRISPR edits genes by precisely

cutting DNA and then letting natural DNA repair processes take over and reseal the DNA. The

media interest in CRISPR renewed the debate about the ethics of genetically engineering human

beings. This topic has been around for decades and has recently come to light again. At the

forefront of the debate are questions as to what extent gene editing should be allowed as well as

many more.

Mary: Well, what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think we have the capacity to start

creating humans?

Norris: Haha, we are definitely not to that extent yet. Scientists have begun to use CRISPR to

remove retroviral sequences from the genomes of pig embryos in the hope of producing pigs

with organs that can be transplanted more safely into humans.

Mary: Lots of big words there. Would you mind simplifying that for our audience?

Norris: A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA

of the host cell and changes the genome of that cell. The genome is the complete set of genes or

genetic material present in a cell. The sequence tells the order of the nucleotides in the DNA.
The sequence tells scientists the kind of genetic information that is carried in a particular DNA

segment. For example, scientists can use sequence information to determine which stretches of

DNA contain genes and which stretches carry regulatory instructions such as turning genes on or

off.

CRISPR may be ready to overcome the major technical hurdles that come with genetically

engineering human beings, such as being able to reliably and precisely modify the DNA

sequences of human cells, including embryos. Scientists have already used it to create

genetically modified mice, pigs, and non-human primates, so it seems promising.

Mary: So it looks like we are at that point then.

Norris: Haha no. Before assuming that CRISPR will transform genetic therapy and make

designer babies and other forms of genetic enhancement possible, we should review some of the

remaining practical and technical obstacles.

Regarding therapy, we need to remember that clinical genetics has so far had limited success,

even in the areas of diagnosis and prediction, and it is not clear that the addition of this new

technique for modifying DNA will be useful in treatments anytime soon.

Likewise for human enhancement: the project of designing our descendants to be tall, smart,

athletic, and creative for example, would require us to know the precise genetic basis for these

traits so that we could decide which pieces of DNA to change. We are far from having that

knowledge today.

Mary: Is it possible that we will get to that point sometime soon?

Norris: Well right now it is hard to tell. Biotechnological optimists expect that CRISPR will

quickly advance after the progress that gene sequencing has made over the past several decades.

Between 1988 and 2003, the US government spent about 4 billion dollars just to sequence a

single human genome. Today, private companies are able to sequence a human genome for

$1000.

Mary: Wow, that is a lot of money

Norris: There is more to evaluating these technologies than just raw numbers, but the numbers

tell a very important part of the story. While the record of progress in gene sequencing is very

remarkable, measuring the progress in the science of genetics or medicine is not as simple. If

anything, technological progress has far outpaced medical and scientific progress. Diagnosing

and predicting disease is still riddled with errors that result in bad medical decisions.

Mary: Well, if the gene sequencing and CRISPR technology is so advanced, can’t we use that to

improve science and medicine?

Norris: Gene therapy will never be more effective than the level of technology and knowledge

that is set by clinical genetics. If we don’t know enough to predict or diagnose disease on the

basis of genetics, we will not be able to cure or prevent disease through gene editing techniques.

Clinical genetics will likely improve in the coming years as scientists continue to gather data
from patients. We can also expect that therapies for specific genetic disorders, especially those

associated with a small number of genetic mutations will be available in the years to come.

But even if we had a robust understanding of the mutations that cause disease, we would still be

far from understanding the genetic basis of complex traits such as athleticism or intelligence that

parents might seek to design in their children.

Mary: Thank you so much for your insight today, Michael. Gene editing has a long way to go,

and we will see where it leads too in the next few years. Thank you for listening to today’s

episode, we will see you next week.

References

Gene editing: New technology, old moral questions. The New Atlantis. (2020, September
30). Retrieved March 25, 2023, from
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/gene-editing-new-technology-old-moral-q
uestions