Gene editing is starting to become truly " big business " , according to this profile from New Yorker magazine . Patent litigation is ongoing to identify who owns the rights to the underlying technology . CRISPR , and venture - capital firms are investing millions to gain exposure to technology that has wide - ranging implications for not just human afflictions , but potentially crop blights and livestock disease too . Zhang’s team, realized that it would be possible to cut the CRISPR system in two. Many are worried about its repercussions , however , Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular Biology at Berkeley and Director of CRISPR researcher , Jennfier Doudna , has been particularly outspoken about the potential for harm . She has called for a research moratorium in May of this year , following the publication of DNA from China , in which scientists used CRISPR to repair the gene responsible for betathalassemia .
Gene editing is starting to become truly " big business " , according to this profile from New Yorker magazine . Patent litigation is ongoing to identify who owns the rights to the underlying technology . CRISPR , and venture - capital firms are investing millions to gain exposure to technology that has wide - ranging implications for not just human afflictions , but potentially crop blights and livestock disease too . Many are worried about its repercussions , however , Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular Biology at Berkeley and Director of CRISPR researcher , Jennfier Doudna , has been particularly outspoken about the potential for harm . She has called for a research moratorium in May of this year , following the publication of DNA from China , in which scientists used CRISPR to repair the gene responsible for betathalassemia .