Wait, Gene Editing Is a Weapon of Mass Destruction?
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper released the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment yesterday, and "Genome Editing" is included in a section on weapons of mass destruction-the same part that talks about the nuclear capabilities of North Korea and chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq. The entry on genome editing reads:
Research in genome editing conducted by countries with different regulatory or ethical standards than those of Western countries probably increases the risk of the creation of potentially harmful biological agents or products. Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications.
Gene editing's "accelerated pace of development" is thanks to tools like CRISPR/Cas-9, an injectable protein that can locate a specific strand of DNA in a person's genome, cut it out, and replace it with a new DNA sequence designed by genetic engineers. Scientists have used this technology to significantly alter the physical traits of organisms in predictable ways. China is pursuing genetic engineering technologies more aggressively than any other nation, and has created abnormally muscular animals to supplement their commercial meat industry. Experiments on human embryos are planned or underway in the United Kingdom and China, though editing the DNA of a human embryo is prohibited in the United States.
Pharmaceutical companies are looking into new ways of administering gene-editing proteins, but as of now the only way to use the technology is through injection. That's good news for people worried about CRISPR being used for nefarious purposes. Piers Millett, the acting head of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) support unit for the U.N. told MIT's Technology Review that making a bioweapon is incredibly difficult because it requires a "wide raft of technologies."
Even so, the fact that genome editing was included on the Worldwide Threat Assessment at all indicates that the Director of National Intelligence has recognized gene-editing technologies are advancing at a rapid pace. There is a whole new concern regarding CRISPR that goes way beyond designer babies.
Source: Gizmodo
