Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing
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- Author：Kevin Davies
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Summary
One of the world's leading experts on genetics unravels one of the most important breakthroughs in modern science and medicine。
If our genes are， to a great extent， our destiny， then what would happen if mankind could engineer and alter the very essence of our DNA coding？ Millions might be spared the devastating effects of hereditary disease or the challenges of disability， whether it was the pain of sickle-cell anemia to the ravages of Huntington’s disease。
But this power to “play God” also raises major ethical questions and poses threats for potential misuse。 For decades， these questions have lived exclusively in the realm of science fiction， but as Kevin Davies powerfully reveals in his new book， this is all about to change。
Engrossing and page-turning， Editing Humanity takes readers inside the fascinating world of a new gene editing technology called CRISPR， a high-powered genetic toolkit that enables scientists to not only engineer but to edit the DNA of any organism down to the individual building blocks of the genetic code。
Davies introduces readers to arguably the most profound scientific breakthrough of our time。 He tracks the scientists on the front lines of its research to the patients whose powerful stories bring the narrative movingly to human scale。
Though the birth of the “CRISPR babies” in China made international news， there is much more to the story of CRISPR than headlines seemingly ripped from science fiction。 In Editing Humanity， Davies sheds light on the implications that this new technology can have on our everyday lives and in the lives of generations to come。
If our genes are， to a great extent， our destiny， then what would happen if mankind could engineer and alter the very essence of our DNA coding？ Millions might be spared the devastating effects of hereditary disease or the challenges of disability， whether it was the pain of sickle-cell anemia to the ravages of Huntington’s disease。
But this power to “play God” also raises major ethical questions and poses threats for potential misuse。 For decades， these questions have lived exclusively in the realm of science fiction， but as Kevin Davies powerfully reveals in his new book， this is all about to change。
Engrossing and page-turning， Editing Humanity takes readers inside the fascinating world of a new gene editing technology called CRISPR， a high-powered genetic toolkit that enables scientists to not only engineer but to edit the DNA of any organism down to the individual building blocks of the genetic code。
Davies introduces readers to arguably the most profound scientific breakthrough of our time。 He tracks the scientists on the front lines of its research to the patients whose powerful stories bring the narrative movingly to human scale。
Though the birth of the “CRISPR babies” in China made international news， there is much more to the story of CRISPR than headlines seemingly ripped from science fiction。 In Editing Humanity， Davies sheds light on the implications that this new technology can have on our everyday lives and in the lives of generations to come。
Reviews
Julia Wang
，
Probably a 4。5/5。 The book is super informative on CRISPR-CAS9 but also the different Cas systems and more。 He's also good at distilling harder concepts such as virology and vector usage so the layman can understand。 This book is well researched and packed with a lot of information。 Also， I appreciate Kevin Davies' attention to nuances versus distilling complex ethical problems within the field of gene editing into black and white。 I also appreciate that he can also accurately detail the differe Probably a 4。5/5。 The book is super informative on CRISPR-CAS9 but also the different Cas systems and more。 He's also good at distilling harder concepts such as virology and vector usage so the layman can understand。 This book is well researched and packed with a lot of information。 Also， I appreciate Kevin Davies' attention to nuances versus distilling complex ethical problems within the field of gene editing into black and white。 I also appreciate that he can also accurately detail the different mechanistic steps of how many different forms of gene editing mechanisms work along their pros and cons。 。。。more
Natalie
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The concepts in this book are important and amazing。 However， the book was technically challenging for me to read and I have a science background。
Elentarri
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This is an interesting and thought provoking look at gene editing in general， CRISPR in particular。 Davies covers both the history and future of gene editing and includes biographical details about the scientists involved in any research related to CRISPR。 I much preferred the sections that provide detail on the technology （not detailed enough for my taste） and the current/future uses of such technology （again， more specifics would have been wonderful）。 The ethics sections didn't provide anythin This is an interesting and thought provoking look at gene editing in general， CRISPR in particular。 Davies covers both the history and future of gene editing and includes biographical details about the scientists involved in any research related to CRISPR。 I much preferred the sections that provide detail on the technology （not detailed enough for my taste） and the current/future uses of such technology （again， more specifics would have been wonderful）。 The ethics sections didn't provide anything that hasn't been discussed elsewhere， but provides a decent overview for those not familiar with the subject。 In short， a nicely written overview of CRISPR technology - how it was developed， who made various incremental but important discoveries， how it works， its uses and hazards （so far） and the ethics of its use/misuse。 。。。more
Anca
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Simply put， one of the more impressive and important books I've ever read。 I had borrowed it from the library， but this is a book much too important not to own。 My personal copy is arriving in the mail， and I look forward to re-visit it， and to follow these humanity-changing achievements in science news and follow-up publications。 Simply put， one of the more impressive and important books I've ever read。 I had borrowed it from the library， but this is a book much too important not to own。 My personal copy is arriving in the mail， and I look forward to re-visit it， and to follow these humanity-changing achievements in science news and follow-up publications。 。。。more
Laurie
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fun read; great storytelling。 Not a CRISPR researcher so I can’t attest to the science， but Davies demonstrates a command of explaining the scientific concepts while doing this great balancing act of managing all the major characters both here and abroad， both pre- and post- gene editing revolution
Brad
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Required reading if you are interested in genomics。
Matthew Aujla
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‘A man has the opportunity to get into the genetic code created by either nature， or as religious people would say， by the God。'All kinds of practical consequences may follow。 'One may imagine that a man can create a man not only theoretically but also practically。'He can be a genius mathematician， a brilliant musician or a soldier， a man who can fight without fear， compassion， regret or pain。'As you understand， humanity can enter， and most likely it will in the near future， a very difficult and ‘A man has the opportunity to get into the genetic code created by either nature， or as religious people would say， by the God。'All kinds of practical consequences may follow。 'One may imagine that a man can create a man not only theoretically but also practically。'He can be a genius mathematician， a brilliant musician or a soldier， a man who can fight without fear， compassion， regret or pain。'As you understand， humanity can enter， and most likely it will in the near future， a very difficult and very responsible period of its existence。'What I have just described might be worse than a nuclear bomb。'-Vladimir Putin， Russian President， 2017 。。。more
Lynda Engler
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This was a fascinating look at our progress in understanding， and yes sometimes manipulating human genetics。 As a layperson with an interest in genetics， but without a science background， I was able to get through this fairly quickly， and better yet， understand it all。 Written clearly， though not often concisely， sometimes there was just a bit too much time spent on names and dates， the story of editing the human genome was well told。
Gus Hebblewhite
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Very interesting subject matter。 The inevitable moral controversies were evenhandedly explored （even where I felt there was one side with the clear philosophical upper hand）。 Sometimes a little long and self indulgent。
Greg Baird
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It’s fact not a question。 Will be an interesting future。
Barbara
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Excellent science journalism。
Satheesh Kumar
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It's like this book was written to be the pre-reading material for my PhD project。 From the origins of CRISPR， the various Cas types and how they have been repurposed， gene therapy， the ethical dilemmas and the future directions， this book really covers everything so far regarding CRISPR。 It's like this book was written to be the pre-reading material for my PhD project。 From the origins of CRISPR， the various Cas types and how they have been repurposed， gene therapy， the ethical dilemmas and the future directions， this book really covers everything so far regarding CRISPR。 。。。more
Basab Pradhan
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CRISPR is destined to be one of the greatest inventions of this century。 There were tools for gene editing before CRISPR， but none of them have the precision and versatility that CRISPR offers。 This year’s Nobel prize in Chemistry went to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for first demonstrating in 2012 that CRISPR， a naturally occurring system in bacteria could be used as a purpose-built gene editing system。 Since then， in a short 8 years， a multitude of applications have been develope CRISPR is destined to be one of the greatest inventions of this century。 There were tools for gene editing before CRISPR， but none of them have the precision and versatility that CRISPR offers。 This year’s Nobel prize in Chemistry went to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for first demonstrating in 2012 that CRISPR， a naturally occurring system in bacteria could be used as a purpose-built gene editing system。 Since then， in a short 8 years， a multitude of applications have been developed using CRISPR， including human gene editing。Kevin Davies is the Executive Editor and founder of CRISPR Journal。 As such he has had a ring side seat to the development of CRISPR as well as easy access to leading scientists。 Editing Humanity is written for anyone with a basic understanding of cell biology。The first half of the book is part thriller， part science explainer。 The science of CRISPR is explained early on in a brief and accessible manner。 It was fascinating the way a series of discoveries around the world led up to Doudna and Charpentier’s 2012 paper。 It goes to show how scientific discovery today is less about flashes of individual brilliance and more the brick by brick building of an edifice。 It’s a pity that the Nobel can only be given to a maximum of three people。 Strangely， in the patent battle for CRISPR， Feng Shang and Broad Institute seem to have prevailed over Doudna and Charpentier’s claims。 Feng Shang， who first demonstrated that CRISPR can work in mammalian embryos， was overlooked by the Nobel committee。The drama around the birth of the first babies from CRISPR edited human embryos is quite gripping。 In 2015， He Jiankui， a Chinese scientist， edited the CCR5 gene in the embryos of twin girls in China。 This was the first time germ-line editing （inheritable changes to the human genome） had been attempted in human beings。 The furore that followed resulted in the imprisonment of He Jiankui by the Chinese government and a broad moratorium on germ-line editing by most countries around the world。In the second half， the book does a nice round up of the state of the art of CRISPR。 Its applications range from better crop plants to cheap and accurate Covid tests。 Therapies for genetic diseases like Sickle Cell Disease， where there is so much hope， are moving slowly because of understandable caution when it comes to applying new kinds of therapies to human beings。In the last two chapters， Davies lays threadbare the ethical and regulatory issues involved with CRISPR。 Should we allow germ-line editing for monogenic hereditary diseases like Sickle Cell Disease？ Especially since it is a lot more efficient and effective （fewer cells to edit） in the embryo stage。 Should we discourage the consumption of CRISPR based foods by calling them GMO？ After all， selective breeding of crops has been going on for millennia。 Should we let people edit their offspring’s genes for greater intelligence （very hard）？ How about eye color （easier）？ How long can you stop them from not trying？Editing Humanity， is rich in detail and highly engaging。 Sooner or later， all of us will hear and learn about CRISPR。 This is a great book to start that journey。 。。。more
Miguel
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A great background on CRISPR technology including a decent amount of info on the biochemistry behind it， with the understanding that this is definitely not a textbook。 The controversy surrounding the dubious use of the technology by He Jiankui takes center stage， hence the title， but would have preferred if this was one aspect of this remarkable new field of science as the book feels a bit uneven in its treatment of the science and the controversy。 A cursory look at the other reviewers seems to A great background on CRISPR technology including a decent amount of info on the biochemistry behind it， with the understanding that this is definitely not a textbook。 The controversy surrounding the dubious use of the technology by He Jiankui takes center stage， hence the title， but would have preferred if this was one aspect of this remarkable new field of science as the book feels a bit uneven in its treatment of the science and the controversy。 A cursory look at the other reviewers seems to discount the decent coverage of the science itself here which is unfortunate because this had potential to be a great book at times。 。。。more
Paiman Chen
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Humans have already reached the point where they can edit the genes in a human embryo and in effect “rewrite the book of life”。
Fraser Kinnear
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There’s an interesting， very basic primer on how CRISPR / Cas-9， followed by a long discussion of how it was discovered， and the high-stakes patent disputes in assigning credit to what is already proving to be an enormously lucrative technology。 I think a combination of Wikipedia and some youtube videos together do a better job of explaining CRISPR， but I did really appreciate some of the context Davies provides。 In particular， just how quickly these small machines work。 Cas 9 is able to interro There’s an interesting， very basic primer on how CRISPR / Cas-9， followed by a long discussion of how it was discovered， and the high-stakes patent disputes in assigning credit to what is already proving to be an enormously lucrative technology。 I think a combination of Wikipedia and some youtube videos together do a better job of explaining CRISPR， but I did really appreciate some of the context Davies provides。 In particular， just how quickly these small machines work。 Cas 9 is able to interrogate hundreds of millions of nucleotides in the matter of hours in finding a stretch of DNA to cut。 To do so， it only spends about 20 milliseconds at every prospective site along a double helix！ Davies doesn’t bother to put this into context， but a cursory web search suggests regular DNA transcription is 40-80 nucleotides/second （link）， or 4，000x slower！ CRISPR is already paying dividends in agriculture。 There are virtually no industrial-scale cheese products that aren’t manufactured in part with a CRISPR enabled starter culture。 It sounds like our last hope against Citrus greening disease， which risks eradicating all US citrus crops in the same way the Panama disease pushed the Gros Michel banana into virtual extinction。 Of course， the most interesting （or darkest） ethical questions rest in human germline engineering。 The US has effectively banned this practice since 2016， when the FDA was banned “from funding clinical trial applications of gene editing of human embryos。” But there appears to be an appetite for applying this technology to the human germ line in other countries。 While it’s too early to point to concrete examples of adopting this technique in an effort to develop “designer babies”， Davies can point to some striking examples of countries who have accepted practices that are further down that path than the US。 In particular， Davies points out how the number of babies born with down syndrome in Iceland and Denmark are now in the single digits every year！ Reading into this further on Wikipedia， 92% of pregnancies diagnosed with down syndrome in Europe are terminated （link）。 George Church puts it more plainly how the cost of drug therapy is not scalable， vs the cost of using CRISPR for detection and termination after fertilization:”5% of live births have a Mendelian [inherited] genetic disorder， the long tail of thousands of rare or orphan diseases。 We’re not going to be spending $2 million [the cost of drug development] on 5% of births。” Church says。 He estimates that the total cost， including opportunity loses and caregiver costs， is a catastrophic $1 trillion world-wide per year。 Not to mention the collective pain and suffering。 Perhaps because it would take a much longer book to do so successfully， Davies does not so much take a position on these questions， but instead point them out as problems that are fast approaching。When science moves faster than moral understanding，” Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel in 2004， “men and women struggle to articulate their own unease。” The genomic revolution has induced a kind of moral vertigo。 。。。more
Emanuele Gemelli
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Complex book for the topics and the language used; gmo， crisps， etc are technologies that need to be used for the benefit of the people。 Like any transformative technology， the use of it is what will create the its own legacy
Alexander Feldman
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Best science book I’ve come across in a long time。 Very engaging without dumbing down the content。
Ietrio
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'Those who can， do; those who can't， teach。' So yea， any moron with a diploma is qualified， although in this case it is not teaching like the proverb says， but rather preaching。 Because， after all， we are in the 'new era' and my neighbour has three hands and the policeman is a centaur so he can run faster after the criminals。 Sarcasm over， this is just about another ignoramus wanted to feel important。 'Those who can， do; those who can't， teach。' So yea， any moron with a diploma is qualified， although in this case it is not teaching like the proverb says， but rather preaching。 Because， after all， we are in the 'new era' and my neighbour has three hands and the policeman is a centaur so he can run faster after the criminals。 Sarcasm over， this is just about another ignoramus wanted to feel important。 。。。more
Robin Tierney
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Notes from this sassy report on the history， status and future of gene editing tools， specifically CRISPR。 Insight into the competitive world of scientific research related to tinkering with DNA。Editing Mankind: Humanity in the Age of CRISPR and Gene Editingby Kevin DaviesTo play GodEnd pollution， genetic disease， hunger potential。CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats。 Repetitive DNA sequences， called CRISPR， were observed in bacteria with “spacer” DNA seque Notes from this sassy report on the history， status and future of gene editing tools， specifically CRISPR。 Insight into the competitive world of scientific research related to tinkering with DNA。Editing Mankind: Humanity in the Age of CRISPR and Gene Editingby Kevin DaviesTo play GodEnd pollution， genetic disease， hunger potential。CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats。 Repetitive DNA sequences， called CRISPR， were observed in bacteria with “spacer” DNA sequences in between the repeats that exactly match viral sequences。 Bacterial enzyme vehicle。2000 first cracked the code of the human genome。Rampage movie weaponized to mutate animals。Correct typos in our genetic code to prevent diseases。The swashbuckling pace at which scientists were publishing。I am a GMO （blood patient）Beagle legs restore functionBalancing commercial and scientific achievement potential with ethics。Merits and dangers。Moratoriums， bans。Superbabies。The voice of Mephistopheles （Faust demon featured in German folklore）。 - EO WilsonFrank Church， Harvard rockstar genetics on conflicts of interests。 He has various companies。 Organ transplant advances。 Pig organs gene transplants to monkeys。 Woolly mammoth de-extinction project。 Involves captive elephants。 Shapiro sees little point in applying heroic measures to bring back extinct species only to place these creatures in a zoo or a park named after a geological epoch。In 1933， zoologist David Fleay filmed Benjamin， the last Tasmanian tiger in captivity in Hobart， Australia。 The grainy black-and-white film captured the Last male white rhino euthanized 2018。Gene drives to eradicate mosquitoes。1960s Florida released millions of irradiated sterile male flies to halt screw worms that bore into scalp etc。Weigh the impact of eradicating a species， so far mosquitoes serve no real purpose anymore。The good news is that a CRISPR gene drive is relatively slow， spreading through generations， and easily detectable。Genome editing heart treatment to replace use of statins。Bioweapon to cause pandemic， but nature does too- Covid 19。GMOIn 1798， English political economist Thomas Malthus published a famous treatise in which he showed that human population growth was outstripping the increase in agricultural productivity。DNA instruction manualDNA a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes。 It is the carrier of genetic information。 The fundamental and distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone or something， especially when regarded as unchangeable。Deletes the miscoded part of the cell。Deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix carrying genetic instructions for the development， functioning， growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses。 DNA and ribonucleic acid are nucleic acids。ribonucleic acid， a nucleic acid present in all living cells。 Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins， although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information。Stephen Hawking: heading towards self-designed evolution。Superhumans with enhanced DNA will be politically at odds with unimproved humans。Craig Venter launched a hostile takeover of the human genome project。 Overmatched the DNA mavericks。The moonshot of biology。EditingScarlett O’Hara originally Pansy。Pride and Prejudice originally titled First Impressions。Like removing a typo。2 female scientists Doudna and CharpentierPlaytex bras 1966 contest design NASA spacesuits。Haloferax a third domain of life。Every organism has a purpose so scientists study them。used in food for Dupont pizza cheese PhageCas9 is the swiss army knife of immunityArno pro font suggested Feng Zhangserif type family created by Robert Slimbach at Adob。 The name refers to the river that runs through Florence， a centre of the Italian Renaissance。 Arno is an old-style serif font， drawing inspiration from a variety of 15th and 16th century typefaces。Publish in journals。Prize fight。2018 He Jiankui （JK） china scientist ， first woman carrying a genetically edited fetus。 Twins。 To protect vs hiv。 China proud then deleted article due to public condemnation for going rogue and human guinea pigs。 Went into hiding。 Accused of ignoring the medical mantra do no harm。 Framed as mutated not edited。 Scandal， outrage over his transgression。 Mosaic formation。Can precisely target the gene but not precisely edit。The unthinkable became the conceivable。（Nobel prize or ostracized from the scientific community。）Designer babies， rogue usage。Then in 2017， change in attitude， journals even open to genetic editing for enhancement， not just thwarting disease。Yeast， drosophila，Patent disputes， stock marketBRCA1 gene testingVillains to heroes， charlatans to chiefs。 Vanguard or insanity’s edge or mercenary。 PerceptionIVF Louise Brown 1978？ Oocyte donor hollowed out for mother’s genetic material。The discovery in 1953 of the double helix， the twisted-ladder structure of deoxyribonucleic acid （DNA）， by James Watson and Francis Crick marked a milestone in the history of science and gave rise to modern molecular biology， which is largely concerned with understanding how genes control the chemical processes within。 Odile Crick wife illustrated it。1999 jesse gensiler teen died undergoing experimental gene therapy for rare deadly disorder。 23 chromosomes， each 20，000 genes。Ethics: compassion， for disease not vanity， access despite wealth。Such as immunize babies against HIV。Huxley even advocated eugenics， so his book contained no warnings about genetic manipulation。The upper castes in Brave New World were smarter than the remainder not because they were enhanced but because the lower castes were deliberately subjected to impairment。Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake， a brilliant geneticist named Crake usurps natural selection to conceive and create a superspecies adapted to thrive in a post-pandemic society， on a planet ravaged by climate change。 They replaced socially normal mating customs with features beneficial to procreation and survival。 The Crakers had beautiful skin of many colors resistant to sun damage and able to repel insect bites and infection。 They also had bovine-like digestive systems requiring only nutrients provided by ubiquitous weeds。Marvel creator Stan Lee made an entire television series devoted to real superhuman genetic outliers—echolocation， extreme endurance， temperature resistance， mathematical wizards， and people with eidetic or photographic memories。Eidectic retained visual after looking away。 After-imageHumans have been seeking to enhance the quality of life for years。 We take Ritalin to improve concentration， hormones to improve vitality， and undergo Lasik surgery to dispense with spectacles。 We perform IVF， prenatal diagnosis， and PGT， what some term liberal eugenics。George Church is somewhat agnostic about germline editing but supports using the protective effects of known gene variants to aid human health and longevity。 gene on chromosome 19—APOE4—is associated with a roughly tenfold increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s。evidence that elevated levels of a protein called Klotho， sometimes dubbed the longevity gene， can improve cognition and protect against Alzheimer’s—at least in mice。Super soldiersPolygenic traits shaped by combined influence of many， not solitary， genes choosing embryos by likelihood of intelligence not far off， although editing for intelligence is still sci fi。genomic Prediction is Stephen Hsu company。10，000 genes， roughly half of the human genome， influence intelligence Steven Pinker moral code should be Get out of the way。Dolly the sheepIVF was boo’ed but now accepted。There is no one perfect genome or human。Sports will open a Pandora’s box。Advantages - genetically enhanced。Access。What about deleting fetuses with Down s or dwarfism？Thorny questions。sliding to a dystopian “fully synthesized natural world where nothing exists outside human intentionality。”In 2005， a French woman named Isabelle Dinoire who was disfigured when she was bitten by Tanya， her golden retriever， became the first person to undergo a face transplant （the donor had committed s。。。Still a long ways til technically safe and ethically sound。Covid 19 - CRISPR diagnostic。 Also use CRISPR to vanquish coronavirus RNA and bacteriophages， which are viruses bacteria have to fight to survive。 A bacteriophage is a type of virus that infects bacteria。 In fact， the word "bacteriophage" literally means "bacteria eater，" because bacteriophages destroy their host cells。If our genes are， to a great extent， destiny， then what would happen if mankind could engineer and alter the very essence of our DNA coding？ Millions might be spared the devastating effects of hereditary disease or the challenges of disability。 But this power to “play God” also raises major ethical questions and poses threats for potential misuse。 For decades， these questions have lived exclusively in the realm of science fiction， but as Davies powerfully reveals in his new book， this is all about to change。Engrossing and page-turning， Editing Mankind takes readers inside the fascinating world of a new gene editing technology called CRISPR， a high-powered genetic toolkit that enables scientists to not only engineer but to edit the DNA of any organism down to the individual building blocks of the genetic code。 Davies introduces readers to arguably the most profound scientific breakthrough of our time。 He tracks the scientists on the front lines of its research to the patients whose powerful stories bring the narrative movingly to human scale。 In so doing， Davies sheds light on the implications that this new technology will have on our everyday lives and in the lives of generations to come。 CRISPR is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea。 These sequences are derived from DNA fragments of bacteriophages that had previously infected the prokaryote。 They are used to detect and destroy DNA from similar bacteriophages during subsequent infections。CRISPR is a powerful DNA or gene-editing tool whose origin lies in the natural adaptive immunity of bacteria。 It enables DNA to be cut at precise locations， allowing for its accurate and targeted renewal or replacement。 。。。more
David Cook
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