A Crack in Creation by Jennifer A. Doudna

However, the book does well to present these concepts in an accessible and engaging manner, aided with helpful, simplified illustrations. For this reason, Doudna explains, it is essential that the public are well informed about the technology – to prevent rushed and irresponsible attempts at human germline editing, and to avoid situations that could allow knee-jerk political responses to stymie the field.Īimed at a general audience, it’s possible that the necessary, but whirlwind, introduction to complicated biochemical and genetic principles might lose some readers. But without proper oversight, or in the hands of unscrupulous practitioners, it could also have disastrous, potentially irreversible consequences. This immensely powerful tool could eliminate numerous genetic diseases, or enable new therapies for, until now, untreatable forms of cancer. It details the incredible potential of Crispr to revolutionise agriculture and medicine, and ends with a discussion of the complex ethical questions this technology inspires.įrom the outset, Doudna expresses her motivation to engage the wider public in conversations about genome editing. The book is co-authored by Doudna’s former PhD student Samuel Sternberg, and provides a unique insight into one of the most important, and controversial, scientific discoveries in recent history. A crack in creation is Doudna’s story of how she became involved in the research that led to Crispr’s development, and the explosion of the field since her team’s breakthrough paper was published just five years ago. These alternative realities might seem like fantasy, but are actually not that far-fetched thanks to the Crispr–cas9 genome editing tool developed by Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues. Then picture a future in which staple crops are resistant to the worst diseases and blights, and can withstand the new pressures of climate change.

Think about the millions of people worldwide affected by food insecurity and famine. Now imagine a world in which mosquitoes had lost the ability to carry the disease. Consider the fact that in 2015 there were almost 212 million cases of malaria worldwide, which led to around half a million deaths.

A Crack in Creation by Jennifer A. Doudna