Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

Publications

Assessing Security Implications of Genome Editing: Emerging Points From an International Workshop

Opinion ARTICLE

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 28 March 2018

https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00034

Robin Fears¹* and Volker ter Meulen²

¹European Academies Science Advisory Council, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Halle, Germany
²InterAcademy Partnership, Trieste, Italy

Genome editing, which includes the deliberate alteration of a selected DNA sequence in a cell using targeted nucleases, is greatly facilitating basic research in the life sciences. In particular, it is contributing significantly to our understanding of biological functions and disease mechanisms. The new genome editing tools are expected to empower innovation for societal applications in human and animal health, agriculture and food systems, and the bioeconomy. As with other tools, there may also be potential for misuse, either inadvertently and associated with biosafety concerns or deliberately and associated with biosecurity concerns.

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