Ethical issues surrounding CRISPR-Cas9 technology
Font size Bookmark Print Tip a friend On 13 June last, the Inserm Ethics Committee assembled over a hundred individuals at its annual seminar. All those present had the benefit of an ethical perspective on many problems posed by biomedical research. One of the questions addressed was that of CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The Ethics Committee has devoted a specific opinion to it, while the NIH has just obtained a first green light for a human cancer immunotherapy trial. The Inserm Ethics Committee (CEI) may receive referrals or carry out investigations on its own initiative to reflect on ethical questions raised by medical scienceand health-related research carried out within the Institute. At the end of its reflection, it issues an opinion in the form of notes that may evolve as new contributions are added. In 2015, the CEO of Inserm requested the Ethics Committee to specifically examine questions related to the development of CRISPR technology, and particularly: - What are the questions raised by the technology as such? Does the rapidity of its development raise particular problems? Does the simplicity of its use call for regulation of its implementation in the laboratory? - Given the technical advantages of the method, and its very rapid dissemination, the question now is to evaluate where, when and how its use might pose an ethical problem.
