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Princeton University / GenePeeks
Professor of molecular biology and public policy at Princeton University and co-founder of GenePeeks, a genetic information company that analyzes DNA to help protect babies from rare genetic conditions
PROFILE
Lee Silver
Guest
FROM Lee Silver
To the Point
Editing Your DNA: The Promises and the Risks Ever since scientists discovered they could tamper with genetic material, people have questioned whether the technology is too powerful and too dangerous to unleash on the world. Now, just in the last three years, new methods of DNA engineering are so precise, so fast, and so inexpensive, that it’s bringing this technology within reach of more scientists and entrepreneurs than ever before. Given the fraught debate over genetically modified foods, how will society deal with the sci-fi -- like prospects of species-specific bio-weapons, invasive mutant crops, or enhancing genes for qualities like beauty and intelligence?
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The art and science of fixing faulty genes UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues say they can edit any organism’s DNA using an RNA-guided protein found in bacteria. This technology, called CRISPR-Cas9, could redefine the possibilities for editing human and non-human genes, opening the door to societal and ethical implications.