On gene editing and its uses: the views of the public

Rapid advances in genome editing, including CRISPR-Cas9 endonucleases, and their potential application in medicine and enhancement have been hotly debated by scientists and ethicists. Although a veto on germ line gene editing has been proposed1, the use of gene editing on human cells in the clinical context remains controversial, particularly for interventions aimed at enhancement2. In a report on human genome editing the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) note that “important questions raised with respect to genome editing include how to incorporate societal values into salient clinical and policy consideration”3. We report here our research that opens a window onto what the public think.