Genetic Engineering and Society Center

Integrating scientific knowledge & diverse public values in shaping the futures of biotechnology

GES Colloquium: Tuesday, 10/18, 12 PM ET in Poe 202 - NO ZOOM 

Defining Genome Editing

Paul Enriquez, JD, PhD, Attorney with Covington & Burling LLP

Website

Exploring the the fundamental question of what genome editing is and ought to mean.

Abstract

Despite the prominence and constant stream of genome-editing breakthroughs in recent years, there is surprisingly no unified or standard definition for the term genome editing. Scientific literature has devoted substantial ink to discussing how the technology was developed, its mechanisms of action, what it can be used for, how it can be improved to increase its efficient use, and so on without attempting to attach any specific or particular meaning to the term.

The increasingly interdisciplinary expansion of genome editing in a wide range of fields—spanning scientific, legal, economic, social, ethical, philosophical, and policy-related areas of study—guarantees that inconsistent meanings, interpretations, and uses of genome-editing definitions and terminology will obfuscate future discussions regarding what measures, if any, society should implement to promote or hinder technological development. Congruity and uniformity on genome-editing terminology is needed at this point to facilitate predictability in statutory and regulatory interpretation and avoid the institution of inadequate laws and policies. This presentation reflects on a fundamental question: What does it mean and, more importantly, what should it mean when people use the term genome editing?

• “Rewriting Nature.” Rewriting Nature: The Future of Genome Editing and How to Bridge the Gap Between Law and Science, by Enríquez Paul, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2021

https://research.ncsu.edu/ges/event/ges-colloquium-2022-10-18/

News

Opinion: Time to reopen the GE in agriculture debate

Jacqueline Rowarth, The Country, September 19, 2022

"Much effort has been expended globally over the past four decades to craft and update country-specific and multinational safety regulations that can be applied to crops developed by genetic engineering processes while exempting conventionally bred crops. This differentiation made some sense in the 1980s, but in light of technological advances, it is no longer scientifically defensible," said Fred Gould, lead author of the Science Policy Forum article.

A GMO Purple Tomato Is Coming to Grocery Aisles. Will the US Bite? 

Emily Mullin, WIRED, September 13, 2022 | Fred Gould, codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center of North Carolina State University, says it will be up to consumers to decide just how valuable a purple tomato is. After all, they can get anthocyanins from other sources—berries, eggplant, and cabbage, for instance.

Exploring the Social, Ethical Sides of Microbiome Engineering

Nash Dunn, September 7, 2022 | NC State will play a key role in the center’s work by examining the societal, ethical and policy implications of microbiome engineering advancements. Jennifer Kuzma, Goodnight-NCGSK Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and co-director of the GES Center, serves as associate director of PreMiEr and will head efforts to explore and consider public attitudes, risks, and multi-disciplinary perspectives related to the research.

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