The clinical application of gene editing: ethical and social issues

Abstract

Gene-editing techniques have progressed rapidly in the past 5 years. There are already ongoing human somatic gene-editing clinical trials for multiple diseases. And there has been one purported scenario of human germline gene editing in late 2018. In this paper, we will review the current state of the technology, discuss the ethical and social issues that surround the various forms of gene editing, as well as review emerging stakeholder data from professionals, the 'general public' and individuals and families dealing with genetic diseases potentially treatable by gene editing.

Keywords: CRISPR; clinical trials; ethics; gene editing; genome editing; germline gene editing; professional attitudes; public attitudes; somatic gene editing; stakeholder research.