This September 27, 2021 article was written by Claire Robinson and published by The Defender. It reports on the findings of a new research published in Nature Biotechnology about the effects of the CRISPR gene editing technology.

According to the article, gene therapy could lead to a phenomenon called chromotripsis, “an extremely damaging form of genomic rearrangement that results from the shattering of individual chromosomes and the subsequent rejoining of the pieces in a haphazard manner”. The researchers say that the damage occurs “on target”, the same intended edit site. Robinson says, “[this] means that any attempts to target the CRISPR gene editing more precisely will not solve this problem.” David Pellman, one of the researchers on the study said, “You cannot make this go away by making the cutting more specific”.

Animal gene editing has shown that edited animals are prone to cancer. Experiences with plant gene editing also shows that chromosomal damage could lead to changes in the function of hte genes which then contributes to toxicity or allergenicity.

Editor’s Note: This study once again tells us that our humanity cannot be determined by our genes alone. The fact that gene editing destroys the very site it edits means that there is a much greater force that keeps the integrity of the human body. Any changes we attempt to make can only lead to diseases. This is a confirmation that humans, despite our high technology, will not be able to “make” and “design” life the way that nature could.

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