An Epigenetic Edit Is Better Than a Genetic Edit

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Recent developments have created not just gen editing, but also p genom editing. You don't change the genes, you just change what the gens do. And that, as it turns out, can have real benefits in some settings. So, for example, you can tune the duration of the effect. Where a genetic ges like diamonds forever. An epigenetic change does not have to be forever. You can dial it in to last for a couple of months for some reason, and if not, it goes away. i wouldn't be saying this to you if your humble servant wasn't working on a project funded by darpa to create such an epigenetic change using crisper

Not too long ago nobody carried a mobile phone; now almost everybody does. That’s the kind of rate of rapid progress we’re seeing with our ability to directly edit genomes. With the use of CRISPR-Cas9 and other techniques, gene editing is becoming commonplace. How does that work — and perhaps more importantly, how are we going to put it to use? Fyodor Urnov has worked in this area from its beginning, having coined the term “gene editing.” We talk about how this new technology can be used to cure or prevent disease, as well as the pros and cons of designer babies.

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Fyodor Urnov received his Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University. He is currently professor of Genetic, Genomics, and Development in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, as well as Director for Technology and Translation at the Innovative Genomics Institute. His research focuses on using CRISPR gene-editing techniques to develop treatments for sickle cell disease, radiation injury, and other conditions, as well as guiding IGI researchers as they bring these therapies from the lab to the clinic.

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