Finding New Uses for CRISPR
February 9, 2022
Highlighting use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR in an early-stage clinical trial to treat a patient with a rare genetic disease that interferes with heart function and typically proves fatal, the Washington Post reports on the growing number of researchers looking to the technology to address a variety of such disorders that now lack approved medical treatment. In an Issues interview, Jennifer Doudna, a codiscoverer of CRISPR, offers an insider’s look at the tool’s potential. But she adds that policymakers, with the counsel of scientists and bioethicists, must also develop guidelines to ensure responsible management of the revolutionary technology.