Summary & Study Guide - A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

By Lee Tang

Power and Peril of Gene Editing
CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

This book is a summary of “A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution,” by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg.

This book tells the story of CRISPR and “gene-editing.” CRISPR is a cutting-edge gene-editing technology that mimics what happens naturally in bacteria. It enables scientists to “play god” with plant or animal DNA, with unlimited power and peril.
The technology of gene editing is the most important advance in our era. The possibility of forever altering the genetic composition of humankind is frightening. Yet we can’t overlook the opportunities that may lead to inventions for cures of HIV, debilitating genetic diseases, and cancers, and end food shortages.

The book will demystify this exciting area of science and inspire you to seek answers to tough moral and ethical questions on the use of this technology.

Read this book and get involved in the debate on the moral and ethical issues on the use of this technology.

This guide includes:
* Book Summary—helps you understand the key concepts.
* Online Videos—covers the concepts in more depth.

Value-added from this guide:
* Save time
* Understand key concepts
* Expand your knowledge

• Language: English
• Publisher: LMT Press
• Release date: Oct 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9780995943162

Lee Tang

Lee Tang is a retired executive of a major global insurance company. Prior to his retirement, he has worked as an actuary, a risk officer and a chief financial officer for several major insurance organizations in the United States, Canada, and Taiwan. To learn more about Lee and his work, visit his website and blog at https://lmtpress.wordpress.com. You can reach him by email at [e-mail].

Book preview

Power and Peril of Gene Editing

CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

The must-read summary of A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg.

This book tells the story of CRISPR and gene-editing. CRISPR is a cutting-edge gene-editing technology that mimics what happens naturally in bacteria. It enables scientists to play god with plant or animal DNA, with unlimited power and peril.

The technology of gene editing is the most important advance in our era. The possibility of forever altering the genetic composition of humankind is frightening. Yet we can’t overlook the opportunities that may lead to inventions for cures of HIV, debilitating genetic diseases, and cancers, and end food shortages.

The book will demystify this exciting area of science and inspire you to seek answers to tough moral and ethical questions on the use of this technology.

Read this book and get involved in the debate on the moral and ethical issues on the use of this technology.

This guide includes:

Book Summary—helps you understand the key concepts.

Online Videos—cover the concepts in more depth.

Value-added from this guide:

Save time

Understand key concepts

Expand your knowledge

Important Note About This Guide

This guide is a summary and not a critique/review of the book. The summary may not be organized chapter-wise but summarizes the book’s main ideas, viewpoints, and arguments. It is NOT meant to be a replacement, but a supplement to help you understand the book’s key ideas and recommendations.

Title: Summary & Study Guide - A Crack in Creation

Subtitle: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

Author: Lee Tang

Publisher: LMT Press (lmtpress.wordpress.com)

Copyright © 2017 by Lee Tang

All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.

First Edition: August 2017

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 9780995943162 (ebook)

ISBN 9781974123100 (paperback)

ISBN 9781987063516 (paperback)

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and author make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of these contents and disclaim all warranties such as warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. The website addresses in the book were correct at the time going to print. However, the publisher and author are not responsible for the content of third-party websites, which are subject to change.

To my wife, Lillian, who is the source of energy and love for everything I do, and to Andrew and Amanda: watching you grow up has been a privilege.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Prologue

Part One - The Tool

1. The Quest for a Cure

2. A New Defense

3. Cracking the Code

4. Command and Control

Part Two - The Task

5. The CRISPR Menagerie

6. To Heal the Sick

7. The Reckoning

8. What Lies Ahead

Epilogue

Index

About the Author

Prologue

For billions of years, life on earth progressed according to Darwin's theory of evolution. Up to now, human has had limited success to transform nature through the selective breeding of plants and animals because the DNA mutations making up the genetic variations were still generated spontaneously and randomly.

Today, scientists have brought this process of evolution under human control. With a powerful gene-editing tool like CRISPR, scientists can change the genetic code in the genome of any living organism. With CRISPR, changing a genetic code in the genome is as simple as editing a text document.

CRISPR has been used by geneticists to create genetically enhanced versions of animals and plants. It has transformed every genetic disease into a potentially treatable target. In laboratories, researchers have used CRISPR to correct the DNA mistakes that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They have also rearranged over half a million letters of DNA inverted in the genomes of patients with hemophilia anemia. Although we still have a long way to go before CRISPR-based therapies will be widely available to treat human diseases, their potential is clear.

But the CRISPR technology has other profound implications. Scientists could use it to change the genome of the human species in ways that are heritable, forever altering the genetic composition of humankind. This forces us to grapple with where to draw the line when manipulating human genetics. Some call for an outright ban on editing the genomes of unborn humans, but others ask scientists to forge ahead without restraint.

In Part One of this book, the authors share the story of the CRISP technology, including how it began with the study of a bacterial immune system. In Part Two, the authors explore a large number of CRISP applications and discuss the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Part One

The Tool

Chapter 1

The Quest for a Cure

Since the 1960s, researchers at the National Institution of Health (NIH) have