A new era of medicine is emerging as gene-editing technologies like CRISPR become more diverse and increasingly accessible to the public. Genome therapies advancing through both viral vectors (using modified viruses to deliver genetic material) show promise against complex disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases and non-viral vectors (using direct chemical and physical methods) and have already been approved for conditions like sickle cell disease. Genomic-based medicine is reshaping patient–doctor relationships by enabling highly personalized treatments, yet the prohibitive cost of approved therapies risks worsening the already existing crisis of healthcare accessibility. While current practice largely limits editing to somatic cells, germline, gamete, and zygote interventions remain taboo. However, figures like Dr. He Jiankui’s have already set the precedent of such edits being successfully made. When germline cell editing will enter mainstream science is only a question of time. As that moment approaches, this committee will focus on tackling such questions as: what defines a genomic “mistake” versus a natural variation, where the boundary between innovation and morality should be drawn, and how different legal systems and cultural values will shape the governance of this technology.
There are no Position Papers required for this committee.
Director: Polina Evdokimova
Chair: Coming Soon!