Blind Patients Undergoing Gene Therapy
May 13, 2021
A handful of people with a hereditary disease that renders them blind are being treated using the gene-editing tool CRISPR. Several participants in this first-of-its-kind trial talked with NPR about their experiences, with one remarking that “it was exciting and scary at the same time.” Jennifer Doudna, who shared a Nobel Prize in 2020 for her role in discovering CRISPR, also senses the promise and worry surrounding the technology. In Doudna’s interview with Issues, she highlights its “vast potential” in health care. But she cautions that policymakers, with public input, must “establish an enforceable framework for responsible and accountable management of CRISPR technology.”