Top 10 Gene Editing Scandals: This list examines controversial incidents involving CRISPR and genetic engineering, highlighting ethical breaches, scientific misconduct, and unintended consequences that have sparked global debate and regulatory scrutiny.
He Jiankui’s CRISPR Babies (2018): Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world by announcing the birth of the first gene-edited babies, twin girls. Using CRISPR-Cas9, he modified the CCR5 gene in embryos to confer HIV resistance, despite the father being HIV-positive. ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )The CCR5 Modification Controversy: Central to He Jiankui’s experiment, the choice to edit the CCR5 gene sparked intense debate. While CCR5 deletion can confer resistance to HIV, it is not foolproof and increases susceptibility to other diseases like West Nile Virus and ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Allegations of Data Manipulation in Early CRISPR Studies: Shortly after CRISPR’s rise, concerns emerged about data integrity in foundational papers. Researchers, including those from major institutions, faced allegations of image manipulation in publications demonstrating ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Unregulated “Biohacker” Gene Editing (e.g., Josiah Zayner): Self-experimentation with gene editing has sparked controversy, epitomized by biohacker Josiah Zayner. He live-streamed injecting himself with CRISPR to disable the myostatin gene, aiming for increased muscle ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Gene Drive Concerns in Environmental Release: Gene drives, which force genetic modifications through populations, pose ecological risks. Research on gene drives to eradicate malaria-carrying mosquitoes raised alarms about unintended ecosystem consequences. Critics fear ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Patent Disputes Over CRISPR Technology: A fierce legal battle erupted between the Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard) and UC Berkeley over CRISPR-Cas9 patents. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier (UCB) filed first, describing CRISPR in vitro. Feng Zhang (Broad) filed later ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Off-Target Effects in Therapeutic Trials: Clinical trials using CRISPR for diseases like sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia have shown promise, but revealed significant risks. Studies reported unintended genetic mutations—off-target edits—where CRISPR cut DNA at ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Creation of Chimeric Embryos (Human-Animal Hybrids): Scientists have created embryos combining human and animal cells (chimeras) to study development and grow human organs for transplant. Using CRISPR, human stem cells are injected into animal embryos, like pigs or monkeys. ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Editing for Non-Therapeutic Enhancement: The possibility of using CRISPR for genetic enhancement—such as increased intelligence, strength, or appearance—raises profound ethical concerns. He Jiankui’s experiment, while aimed at disease resistance, was criticized as a ... Show More
+ Comment+ Vote ( 1 )Lack of Global Regulatory Consensus: The rapid advancement of gene editing has outpaced international regulation, creating a patchwork of rules. Some countries ban germline editing, while others have lax oversight, enabling "ethics tourism" where researchers ... Show More
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