China Builds a Faster Beagle in Gene-Editing Race With U.S.

[Sabre]

Bloomberg

U.S. companies racing to develop a promising gene editing technology are up against a formidable competitor -- the Chinese government.

China has long set its heart on building an expertise in genomics and its government is pouring funds into a new -- and sometimes controversial tool -- called Crispr, encouraging its researchers to advance the technology. Chinese scientists say they were among the first in using Crispr to make wheat resistant to a common fungal disease, dogs more muscular and pigs with leaner meat.

The scientific research bankrolled by the Chinese government could eventually be tapped by agricultural and pharmaceutical companies. Programs funded by Beijing are, among other things, working on disease-resistant tomatoes, breast cancer treatments and increasing the oil content in soy beans. In the southern city of Guangzhou, researchers who received government funds went a step further, sparking an international ethical debate last year after tweaking the genetic make up of human embryos using Crispr for the first time.

Formally called Crispr-Cas9, the genetic editing tool acts like a pair of low-cost and highly precise molecular scissors that can cut out unwanted sections of DNA and insert desired ones. It has revolutionized what was once a time-consuming, pricey and inaccurate process, and scientists and businesses worldwide are seeking to capitalize on this emerging technique. The expertise the Chinese groups are developing positions them to eventually challenge U.S. gene-editing companies, some of which have raised millions in venture capital.
"I would rank the U.S. and China as first and second Crispr-Cas9 research countries, respectively, at this time. Both countries have much strength in this area," said Paul Knoepfler, an associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy at the UC Davis School of Medicine in California, who recently published a book titled "GMO Sapiens" discussing the application of gene-modifying technology on humans. "The U.S. currently gets the edge in high-profile papers, Crispr biotech and intellectual property. China has published a lot in Crispr animals."

Damn scary how close we are coming to Gattaca.

[drwrx]

A government with a horrible human rights track record going all in on genetic research and manipulation. . .
What could go wrong?

[Sabre]

Some things that come to mind:







And of course the not so fun one that's a real possibility