The purpose of my essay is to address the importance of deepening our understanding within genetic engineering and application of biotechnology, in particular the application of CRISPR and how it can be used to treat genetic disease. This is done through the conjunction of a secondary review article about the ethical and social issues regarding genetic engineering and a primary research article detailing an example within the secondary article in more depth. A secondary article provides us with a wide range of research and studies whereas a primary article includes original research through the use of experiments and scientific reports. Neither is better but instead they contribute to one’s own research and opinions around a specific topic, in this case Genetic engineering and biotechnology focusing on the application of CRISPR.

The secondary article titled, “Cutting edges and weaving threads in the gene editing revolution: reconciling scientific progress with legal, ethical and social concerns” written by A.Nordberg, T.Minssen, S.Holm, M.Horst, K.Morensen, and B.Lingberg Moller was published in the Journal of law and Biosciences, January 18 2018. The article is written from a European perspective but for a global audience and is a joint research project with contributions by various groups such as lawyers, biologists, philosophers, social scientists and physicists. The article details applications and examples of genetic engineering using the applications of biotechnology in particular Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic repeats (CRISPR), (an example using mosquitos is detailed further later in the essay). It focuses on the recent advances and breakthroughs of biotechnology, which is a technology involving the use of a living organism in order to modify or create a new product and through genetic engineering we are able to see the direction towards eradicating or preventing genetic diseases. Due to this being a relatively new topic, the article proposes different opinions, regarding the legal, ethical and social challenges through debates, legislations, recitals from the Biotechnology Directive, and scientific research and opinion. The main purpose is highlighting the main conundrum within using this advanced technology is that human dignity and integrity should be protected and that just because we can it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is ethically and morally correct.

The Review article is from the Journal of Law and the Biosciences and the editors- in- chief N.arahany, H.Greely and G.Cohen and is joint work between the Duke University, Harvard University Law School and Stanford University, published by Oxford University press. The journal focuses on the interaction between Biosciences and Law containing original and review articles on diverse range of topics such as bioethics, genetics, biotechnology, stem cells, patent law, food and drug regulation. As the journal is published worldwide from a University department, it involves mainly university level research therefore the main audience would be University students studying or interested in the areas of biosciences, bioethics and law. Biosciences is a collection of sciences that deal with living organisms from molecules to populations including, nutrition, botany, zoology, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology. The study of bioethics involves the debate regarding the protection of human nature medical research and advanced applications technologies are ethically and morally correct and safe to future generations.

The primary research paper found from the review article titled, A CRISPR- Cas9 gene drive system targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles Gambiae written by A.Hammond, R.Galizi, K.Kyrou and many more. It involved the identification of three genes- AGAP00598, AGAP011377 and AGAP007280 which grant a recessive female- sterility phenotype when disrupted which was then inserted into each locus CRISPR- Cas9 gene drive constructs. These gene drive systems have the potential to select specific genes to be inherited and passed along more frequently than others. This idea would be used to target and edit each of these genes to limit the transmission of these genes. The process of CRISPR has made the process of engineering nucleases that can split specific genomic sequences much simpler. The aim of the experimental research is to use CRISPR- Cas9 to slow development of gene drive systems to help with the control of insect vectors of disease with the hypothesis being that when targeting and the confinement of homing a germline it should lead to a super- mendelian inheritance within a somatic female fertility gene it will reduce the number of fertile females. It was important to house the mosquitos in a containment facility due to the potential for them to show gene drive activity.