I know. When I read that, I did a double-take, because how could it be possible that us humans are at a point where we can edit the next generations’ DNA? How is it that we’ve reached a level of scientific proficiency that we can change how reproduction works? CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans by Henry T. Greely is a book that explores this topic in more depth.

Today, I’ll be sharing what the content of his introductory chapter is– with the plan to continue along this topic of CRISPR and human gene editing in future posts. It’s mind-blowing stuff!

In his introduction, Greely remembers his reaction to receiving an email titled “CRISPR Babies” from a colleague; this email was linked to a news story by the MIT Technology Review— “Exclusive: Chinese Scientists are Creating CRISPR Babies,” by Antonio Regalado. This article described how a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, planned to use CRISPR, a DNA editing tool, to change the DNA of human embryos that would be implanted in women’s uteruses for pregnancy. Intrigued, Greely researched this topic a little further, and quickly found an article by Marilynn Marchione reading that nonidentical twin girls had already been born from embryos that had CRISPR used on them under the supervision of He Jiankui.

Greely shared his personal reaction to this news– calling He’s experiment “grossly reckless, irresponsible, immoral, [and] illegal.” He also explains his own background and the reasoning behind why he wrote this book; he is an American Lawyer, currently employed at Stanford University in California, and he likes to analyze topics by “looking at cases and working [his] way from specific examples to broader laws, principles, guidelines, or even rules of thumb.” He believes He Jiankui’s work has shed some light on a topic that is “fascinating, unnerving, and still unclear” — and his book intends to unwind the moral and ethical principles of that.

I think his approach to this topic, especially because of his background as a lawyer, will make this book something beyond just a scientific read. I’ll get to explore the morals behind this work, and the lasting effect it can have on people, when I feel like I don’t get to see that perspective often. I’m excited– hope you are too!