Is it technologically possible to make a human male sterile from birth using gene editing? How would this effect the male’s natural development? And, would you be able to reactivate these genes in adulthood?
Edit: for clarity, I’m asking if it’s possible to edit the DNA of a male embryo/fetus to prevent the eventual production of sperm, and reverse this process when the man becomes an adult.
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Theoretically, yes and yes. And there could be minimal effect on development…. Depending on the exact method used. Can’t give a firm answer there.
Anyway, we could make someone sterile today, reversing the process later in life is probably not possible with today’s technology though. Give it a few years though and maybe.
Possible? Probably.
Ethical? Definitely not.
It’s absolutely possible to sterilize a group of people using gene editing.
Whether or not you could ever undo that kind of damage is impossible to know.