If CRISPR allows to target specific genes, and cancer occurs when cell’s DNA changes to multiply uncontrollably and refuse the immune system’s orders to die, why can’t we just use CRISPR to solve most of the cancers?

Question

I guess there could be many genes that affect the “grow uncontrollably” part or the “refuse to die” part, but can’t we just target all of them?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The short answer is that the technology and implementation isn’t there yet. But the actual research focus currently isn’t preemptively altering genes in this way, but rather to create therapeutic treatments. Making permanent genetic changes to a patient is an ethics nightmare. While the human genome has been sequenced, we don’t really have a user guide saying what does what – current science showing confidence in what a particular gene does is based on testing, observation, and experimentation. For every gene that’s been identified with any level of certainty, there are thousands more that are still a mystery.

Imagine being given an extremely detailed map of a foreign land, that contains intricate drawings of every house, street, town and geographical feature, but features no labels, no scale, and no compass to help you navigate. That’s where gene mapping is today, and we are quickly learning to fill in the legend ourselves, but it will take time.