The ethics of CRISPR gene editing with Jennifer Doudna

The ethics of CRISPR gene editing with Jennifer Doudna

CRISPR Technology: Excitement and Caution

Overview of CRISPR's Potential

  • The speaker expresses excitement about CRISPR technology, highlighting its potential to significantly benefit human health and society.
  • There is a call for caution regarding clinical applications in human embryos, emphasizing the difference between editing adult tissues (non-heritable changes) versus embryos (heritable changes).

Ethical Considerations

  • The discussion touches on ethical implications of genome editing in embryos, where changes could be passed to future generations.
  • While research in human embryos is deemed appropriate under guidelines, the speaker believes that current science does not support clinical applications in this area.

Role of Scientists

Video description

UC Berkeley professor, Jennifer Doudna, discusses the far-reaching positive potential for the new gene-editing tool, CRISPR, as well as the need for close consideration and agreement on how it can be used. For more information, visit: http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/12/01/crispr-inventor-calls-for-pause-in-editing-heritable-genes/ Video produced by Roxanne Makasdjian and Stephen McNally Conference footage courtesy of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine http://www.berkeley.edu http://www.facebook.com/UCBerkeley http://twitter.com/UCBerkeley http://instagram.com/ucberkeleyofficial https://plus.google.com/+berkeley