The CRISPR Revolution – Genome Editing

Science 52' 2018 HD

Is it the latest gene scandal or a blessing for medicine and agriculture? CRISPR is a new tool in the gene laboratory which allows scientists to change the genetic material of all living organisms with great precision. Researchers are developing therapies for diseases regarded until now as incurable; plants with new characteristics are being created. But at the same time the designer baby is also suddenly within reach. How far should medicine or agriculture be allowed to go? The film looks for answers – critically and sophisticatedly – and examines old prejudices. Researchers, ethicists and critics are agreed on one thing: society urgently needs to debate the opportunities and boundaries of this new dimension in genetic engineering, because CRISPR affects all our lives.