The first U.S. trials in people put CRISPR to the test in 2019
When it was unveiled in 2012, people had great hopes that the gene editor CRISPR/Cas9 could treat or even cure hundreds to thousands of genetic diseases. This year, researchers in the United States began testing the gene editor in people, a crucial first step in determining whether the technology can fulfill its medical promise. 62019 Top 10See full list These first clinical trials are testing CRISPR/Cas9’s safety and efficacy against cancer, blood disorders and one form of inherited blindness in people who already have the disease (SN: 8/31/19, p. 6). Many more such trials are expected to begin soon. Unlike the editing of human embryos that stirred up controversy in 2018 (SN: 12/22/18 & 1/5/19, p. 20), the genetic changes introduced in these trials would not be inherited by future generations. CRISPR’s rise as a potential medical tool happened in remarkably short time, says Janelle Waack, an intellectual property attorney at the law firm Bass, Berry & Sims in Washington,...