CRISPR Creator Jennifer Doudna On The Promises — And Pitfalls— Of Easy Genetic Modification
For $150, you can buy a Crispr kit online and use it to engineer heartier gut bacteria in your kitchen. That’s thrilling, but the technology is giving Jennifer Doudna, an inventor of the gene-editing method, nightmares. Easy genetic modification could mean cures for cancer (yay!), kitty-sized pigs (squee!), and, yes, designer babies (ack). In her new book, A Crack in Creation, Doudna urges innovators to slow their roll. Here she considers the daunting prospects and promises of the monster-maker she created.
1. Perfect children
The prospect of editing human embryos to make people super athletic and acne-free is disturbing, Doudna says. Though it may one day be safe to fix mutations, the procedure could trigger unforeseen illnesses or disabilities.
2. Species rebirth
It may be tempting to resuscitate the woolly mammoth and the great auk, but we still can’t predict how that would work out for the mammoth—or us, for that matter. (See: Jurassic Park.)
3. Buzzkills
Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other creature on earth. And Crispr, combined with a technology called gene drive, would do away with them. But such tampering could disrupt the food chain and potentially give rise to pests that are even more annoying (or more deadly).
4. Mash-up pets
Before synthesizing trendy fusion pets (hamstercats, please), we have to consider morality and animal welfare, Doudna says. Genetic modification and cloning could cause deformities or premature deaths. Then again: micropigs!
