Genetically modifying humans is no longer limited to science-fiction; a technology, called CRISPR, has enabled scientists to precisely edit the human genome. Researchers have already used it on human embryos to “correct” errors in DNA that lead to devastating diseases. In whatever context CRISPRs are used, they have the capacity to permanently alter the human genetic fabric. Where does a global society draw the line between ethical use of CRISPRs and eugenics? This lecture seeks to answer that question and to briefly explain the technology.
Kelly Grant, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Gannon University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Haverford College and went on to receive her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington in 2005. She served as a Science Policy Fellow from 2008 to 2010 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science after completing a Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2006 to 2008 at the University of Colorado’s Health Science Center.