February 15, 2017.
Two biologists, the French Emmanuelle Charpentier and the American Jennifer Doudna, have developed a technology, nicknamed “DNA chopping scissors”, which could well revolutionize the world of science.
End some serious genetic diseases
CRISPR-Cas 9. These simple letters alone sum up a technology of extreme complexity but whose prospects are intoxicating. A technology capable of cut out the DNA molecule of any living organism. But that’s not all, it can also remove, add and modify genes. This revolutionary discovery is as exciting as it is worrying.
” It’s a revolution that will shake the planet to a depth that we have no idea “, Said André Choulika, the creator of Cellectis, a genome engineering company, on France Inter. ” A huge turning point is happening thanks to these technologies “. Certain serious genetic diseases such as myopathy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and certain cancers could thus be avoided.
Ban the uses of CRISPR on human embryos
But already this tool is scary. It is as if we had just discovered the atomic weapon and we were afraid that it would fall into the wrong hands. ” There are many ethical issues that we need to consider carefully “, Said Jennifer Doudna. ” With my colleagues, we call for a global halt to all uses of CRISPR technology on human embryos, the time that we can measure all the implications. “
CRISPR-Cas 9 technology could also become a very dangerous weapon if used for eugenics or bacteriological terrorism. In 2016, James Clapper, who was then director of all American intelligence services, classified CRISPR-Cas9 in the category of ” weapons of mass destruction Potential. A classification that says a lot about the potential dangers of this tool.
Marine Rondot
