Which do you think is the most promising method in the field of genetics right now? Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about CRISPR technology, which allows us to directly edit target genes. On the other hand, there’s gene therapy, which fixes faulty genes or adds new ones to replace them. Which approach do you think is more effective and likely to become widespread? Why?
Is CRISPR or gene therapy the future of treatment?
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Three to four years ago I met a guy who had an inherited blood disorder. The doctors said he could be treated with gene therapy. It involved a 15–20‑injection treatment where they basically replaced the faulty gene with a healthy one. The process itself was long and tough, but in the end his hemoglobin levels returned to normal and he’s now living almost a normal life. I saw that CRISPR wasn’t being tried much in clinical settings back then, so they went with gene therapy instead.
There’s no doubt CRISPR will be revolutionary in the future, especially now that it’s being tested in cancer treatments and showing some impressive results. But I think gene therapy is a more mature and low‑risk approach for single‑gene diseases like sickle‑cell anemia or beta‑thalassemia. In fact, the FDA already has approved drugs based on gene therapy. CRISPR still needs a lot more legal and ethical scrutiny, whereas gene therapy is progressing in a more controlled way. In the end, both could be the treatments of tomorrow, but for now gene therapy feels a bit more “solid.”