Röbbe Wünschiers - Genetic Engineering: Reading, Writing and Editing Genes

Genetic engineering has reached the publicnot only in the form of products from the pharmaceutical, food and detergent industries, for example, but also as a political issue. At the latest since the announcement in 2018 that CRISPR/Cas gene edited twins were born in China or the announcement in 2017 that the Bayer Group acquires the seed and crop protection company Monsanto, almost everyone is aware of at least two applications of genetic engineering: gene therapy, in this case even in the germline of human embryos, and the design of glyphosate-resistant Roundup Ready plants. The debate on genetic engineering has spread from the science section of newspapers to the political and business sections and even to the arts pages. And this is very good.

Nevertheless, the public discussion on genetic engineering seems to me to be suffering from a number of problems. For example, it is often based on old pictures and methods and is usually conducted in black and white. A strict distinction must also be made between the technology itself, its application and its marketing. All too often, the extent to which genetic engineering already penetrates and will penetrate our everyday life is also neglected. Although genetic engineering is already deeply rooted in our everyday consumer lives, the near future will offer even more personal contacts with genetic engineering: Should I undergo gene therapy; should I clone my deceased dog; should I select my offspring by carefully selecting my eggs or sperm?

• An insight into what reading and editing the human genome means to us.

• An overview about marketing genetic information and how the environment and life style are affecting it.

• An outlook on how the writing of genetic information is expected to revolutionize biotechnology and how everyone can contribute to it.