if CRISPR worked, what would you change in our eyes in order to enhance them?
- the shape of the eye
-parts of the eye
- the function of the parts
what would you add or change and how you would change them?
Answers
CRISPR technology was invented just three years ago but is so precise and cheap to use it has quickly spread through biology laboratories. Already, scientists have used it to generate genetically engineered monkeys, and the technique has stirred debate over whether modified humans are next (see “Engineering the Perfect Baby”).
Editas is one of several startups, including Intellia Therapeutics and CRISPR Therapeutics, that have plans to use the technique to correct DNA disorders that affect children and adults. Bosley said that because CRISPR can “repair broken genes” it holds promise for treating several thousand inherited disorders caused by gene mistakes, most of which, like Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis, have no cure.
Editas, which had not previously given a timeline for an initial human test of CRISPR, will try to treat one form of a rare eye disease called Leber congenital amaurosis, which affects the light-receiving cells of the retina.
The condition Editas is targeting affects only about 600 people in the U.S., says Jean Bennet, director of advanced retinal and ocular therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school. “The target that they have selected is fantastic; it has all the right characteristics in terms of making a correction easily,” says Bennett, who isn’t involved in the Editas study.