The CRISPR Children, Episode 4

Conversations with scientists

Around three years ago, three children were born with genomes edited before their birth. They are supposedly doing ok, sources tell me. But it's hard to know for sure. Germline-genome editing is not permissible in most countries, but it might one day be performed to avoid heritable diseases that are incurable. But the technology needs to be much more precise than it is now. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Alison van Eenennaam of the University of California, David about her work in cattle and we also talk about germline-gene editing in people. She talks about Cosmo, the first bull with a gene added to his genome. And she talks about her thoughts on applying germline gene-editing in people and about the offering, by some companies, promising parents-to-be 'designer babies.'

Note: Some cautions for you. If you don’t like meat, you might not like this podcast. Although you might want to hear about projects related to livestock health and breeding in the tropics or about reviving and restoring endangered species. You might not like this podcast if you do not want to hear about animal experiments. Although we do also know that many things intended for use in people are tested in animals first. And that is indeed fraught. Even if you have aversions of this kind, I would like to invite you to tune in to hear more about Alison van Eenennaam’s work.