The Convergence Science Network recently hosted a presentation evening on ‘The Science and Ethics of Genome Editing’, with POF team members Debra Yin Foo, Annabella Newton and Alexis Keating in attendance. The presentation focussed on CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspersed Palindromic Repeats), a tool that enables scientists to edit, remove or replace the genes of many organisms, including humans. As CRISPR could potentially be used to edit cells that give rise to sperm and eggs, ethical questions are rising in how far we should go in the use of gene editing – which is what the presentation served to discuss.
Following the presentation, Debra, Annabella and Alexis were invited to attend a private reception along with the speakers Professors Jennifer Doudna and Kevin Esvelt, as well as other dignitaries. All three were presented with a copy of ‘A Crack in Creation’ – co-authored by Professor Doudna.
We’re pleased to have attended the presentation and we look forward to the next Convergence Science Network event.
