We are in an exciting age, one in which technology is transforming the way we communicate, eat, work, and live. However, with the advent of CRISPR technology we have the potential to change the way we're built. CRISPR/CAS9 is a gene editing technology that allows the user to "cut and paste" sections of an organism's genome, the same way bacteria target viruses that have been stored as harmful and use the enzyme CAS9 to make a precise change in the viral genome (Saey, T.H.). This is obviously a huge step forward in the realm of using technology to alter how we live, with many of the possible applications of CRISPR having to do with altering humans, and the organisms we eat to eliminate common diseases, genetic conditions or other types of deformities. While this sounds like a good thing, there are a ton of ethical concerns raised by this proverbial Pandora's box of technology. A widespread fear concerning a more commercial application of CRISPR is "designer babies" so to speak. Babies that have their physical, emotional, and mental traits handpicked to create an ideal human. If ever an option, this would of course be a very expensive procedure meaning it would only be an option to the rich. So if the rich are able to give their children perfect social skills, deadly intelligence, and superhuman athleticism while the poor won't be able to afford to cut out a mutation that could expose their child to some sort of disease or similar ailment, the divide between the rich and poor will not just be a socioeconomic one but a physical and possibly racial one.

Recently in China's Southern University of Science and Technology, the CRISPR technology was used to edit the DNA of two female twins. This has caused an uproar in the scientific community largely from those in the field of biogenetics and Chinese scientists, fearing that this negative press will leave a lasting fear of the technology or in the Chinese scientists' case a negative reputation for their country and the researcher's that come out of it. The procedure was carried out by researcher He Jiankui, by editing the genome of the children when they were still just single cells pre- in vitro fertilization (Cyranoski, D.). Jiankui tried to justify his actions by stating that the father of the twins was HIV positive, putting the children at risk of the virus. However HIV will only infect offspring if the mother is HIV positive and gives birth via the vaginal canal, and can be avoided if a Caesarean section is used. Partly due to the easy preventability of the virus, and partly due to the reckless use of untested technology on a human embryo, He has drawn a lot of criticism. However, he stands by his actions and considers himself a pioneer of sorts as evidenced by a statement he made to the public: "I understand my work will be controversial, but I believe families need this technology and I am willing to take the criticism for them,". He has said he believes in the application of this technology for the prevention or treatment of disease causing mutations, however does not support its use in altering the physical traits/ abilities of embryos.

Another application of CRISPR technology doesn't directly deal with humans, however it's a crop we use every single day. Cotton farmers in western China have battled with the Cotton Bollworm ever since commercial cotton production began. The Cotton Bollworm feeds on the cotton plant as it's primary food source, and has a certain gene that makes it resistant to the the pest killing protein contributed to the plant by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, oftentimes called Bt (Walla- Arizona, E.). Bt has been incorporated by genetic engineering into common crops like soybeans, corn, and cotton so that the crop will naturally produce its own supply of the pest-fighting protein. Farmers struggled for decades to try to create designated patches of crops that would allow for the population of those insects without resistance to grow, however with the advent of gene- sequencing farmers were able to pinpoint the specific genes that give Cotton Bollworms their Bt resistance. Using CRISPR/CAS9, Chinese researchers have begun to create different pest fighting proteins, specifically ones that target the Cotton Bollworm immune system. The knowledge that farmers have gained from pinpointing what genes give Bollworms their resistance has been important in structuring crop placement to help foster a larger population of these caterpillars without the resistance to Bt. The concern when interfering with an organism's ability to use its primary food source is that it could hurt the population of that organism. In the case of the Cotton Bollworm and the efforts to manufacture a new pesticide producing protein for cotton plants, if successful Bollworm populations may drop sharply and if not given enough generations to develop a resistance to that pesticide Bollworms may cease to exist in western China. I believe it's unethical to use CRISPR technology to make a rapid change in the genome of the cotton plant, one that Bollworms could not organically keep up with due to the prolonged nature of evolution. This is a prime example of placing profits over the wellbeing of the environment as this case study doesn't take into account the impact of removing Cotton Bollworms from the ecosystems of western China.

As exciting a technology as CRISPR/CAS9 is, these two instances are good evidence for delaying the application of this technology until further tests can be done to insure the safety of those involved in future implementation. Human embryos being made disease resistant has caused a massive uproar in the scientific community, and the advent of actually genetically modified plants has already started to negatively affect the populations of insects that feed on them. It will be interesting to see how CRISPR is implemented down the line in a world that is ready for it, and willing to embrace it as the next major technological leap.

Sources:

Cyranoski, D., & Ledford, H. (2018, November 26). Genome-edited baby claim provokes international outcry. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07545-0

Saey, T. H. (2017, July 31). Explainer: How CRISPR works. Retrieved from https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-how-crispr-works

Walla- Arizona, E. (2018, November 08). CRISPR solves cotton bollworm resistance mystery. Retrieved from https://www.futurity.org/cotton-bollworm-caterpillars-crispr-1906612-2/