Gene editing technology remains unpredictable, say researchers

In a pattern that will be all too familiar to GMWatch readers, yet another paper has been published by researchers in the medical field, highlighting the wide range of unintended outcomes from gene editing, both at the site targeted for editing and at other locations in the genome. Meanwhile plant biotechnologists keep silent on the issue or make false claims about the supposed precision of the technology.

Here are some quotes from the new paper (see abstract below this article), which is open access: 

* “The range of possible molecular events resulting from genome editing has been underestimated and the technology remains unpredictable on, and away from, the target locus.”

* “When editing is used for the production of agricultural products (plants or animals), it remains unclear whether uncontrolled outcomes may pose a risk to the users. Such variability may prevent licensing for commercialization by regulators or negatively affect the confidence of consumers in the safety of those products.”