The problem with gene editing is that scientists have almost no idea how the genes work, or the full ramifications of changing them.
There is a syndrome called 22Q11, which is a genetic deletion syndrome on the 22nd chromosome at location 22Q11.2. That small deletion can cause 200 different health defects. Every child with this deletion has a different set of health problems. 75% will have heart defects. 25% will become schizophrenic by age 20. 35% will have kidney defects. Scientists still haven’t figured out which DNA within this tiny deletion cause which problems.
“The problem with gene editing is that scientists have almost no idea how the genes work, or the full ramifications of changing them.”
Actually, we know an enormous amount about how genes work. If we didn’t you couldn’t describe the cause of syndrome 22Q11 in such detail. That doesn’t mean we know everything. There is still a great deal left to learn but there are few (if any) scientific fields we know everything about. That’s why we do research.
There is a syndrome called 22Q11, which is a genetic deletion syndrome on the 22nd chromosome at location 22Q11.2. That small deletion can cause 200 different health defects. Every child with this deletion has a different set of health problems. 75% will have heart defects. 25% will become schizophrenic by age 20. 35% will have kidney defects. Scientists still haven’t figured out which DNA within this tiny deletion cause which problems.”