Genetic protection modifications: Moving beyond the binary distinction between therapy and enhancement for human genome editing
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
The current debate and policy surrounding the use of genome editing in humans typically relies on a binary distinction between therapy and human enhancement. Here, we argue that this dichotomy fails to take into account perhaps the most significant potential uses of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in humans. We argue that genetic treatment of sporadic Alzheimer's disease, breast and ovarian cancer predisposing BRCA1/2 mutations, and the introduction of human immunodeficiency virus resistance in humans should be considered within a new category of genetic protection treatments. We suggest that if this category is not introduced, life-altering research might be unnecessarily limited by current or future policy. Otherwise ad hoc decisions might be made, which introduce a risk of unforeseen moral costs, and might overlook or fail to address some important opportunities.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | CRISPR Journal |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 6 |
Pages (from-to) | 362-369 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 2573-1599 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
ID: 233589263