The CRISPR Revolution and a New Era of Genome Editing

Kevin Davis, the founding editor of Nature Genetics, dedicated his book to the history of the emergence and development of the genome editing technology known as CRISPR. In 2012, biochemist Jennifer Doudna and microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier developed this method, for which they were later awarded the Nobel Prize. Other scientists have improved the procedure, which now allows for quick and easy modification of DNA sequences. These scientific discoveries have led to ongoing legal battles for patents.
CRISPR can create disease-resistant and pest-resistant varieties of agricultural crops and breeds of domestic animals. Humans have the prospect of eliminating incurable diseases. Scientists are already able to modify many human traits at the embryonic stage — such as height or mental abilities. However, all of this is fraught with moral and ethical issues, which are evaluated and resolved differently in various countries.