What Should Clinicians Do to Engage the Public About Gene Editing?

Abstract

Genome editing holds tremendous promise for preventing, ameliorating, or even curing disease, but a thorough discussion of its bioethical and social implications is necessary to protect humankind against harm, a central tenet of the original Hippocratic Oath. It is therefore essential that medical students, physicians, and all health care workers have a working understanding of what gene editing entails, the controversy surrounding its use, and its far-reaching clinical and ethical implications.

Healthcare for Germline Genetically Modified People

“…Patient populations can be especially vulnerable to promise of the benefits of gene editing made in the media and consequently, patients may act on this distorted information. Thus, it is important that healthcare providers are sufficiently prepared to correct any misinformation and explain the current state of germline gene editing for the patient's genetic condition in ways that are accessible to patients, their families, and other relevant stakeholders (Alsaigh, Nicholson, and Topol 2019;Meagher et al 2020). In a recent study, genetic professionals reported experiencing feelings of anxiety due to having insufficient methods to evaluate the success of a future modification and the undetermined risk of adverse effects due to the modification (Taguchi et al 2019).…”

La edición genética en embriones humanos y sus implicaciones en la salud.

“…Añade el autor que dicha estrategia es recomendable para el estudio de enfermedades como el cáncer mediante la aceleración del sistema inmunitario editando las células T del paciente. Por ende, concluye que el equilibrio entre el beneficio y el riesgo para tratar dichos trastornos es favorable a diferencia de las incógnitas de editar los embriones humanos (29).…”