But one new study emphasizes, however, that it will be some time before CRISPR is ready to save the future from genetic defects.
Re-adjustment triggers chromosome chaos
In the scientific article, biologists from the Francis Crick Institute in London using CRISPR have altered the gene POU5F1, which controls the formation of the fetus.
However, almost a quarter of the genetically modified embryos had unwanted defects that altered large parts of the cells’ gene code in the chromosomes around POU5F1.
In another study the future prospects for CRISPR turned out to be even worse. There, half of the test fetuses received unwanted genetic changes after the CRISPR procedures.
The unwanted local gene defects have not been detected in previous experiments because biologists’ screening methods have usually looked for errors in the overall genetic code.
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