CRISPR, Sickle Cell Disease & Society: A VR Explainer & Ethics Discussion

What is sickle cell disease and how can CRISPR help? How can DNA editing be used ethically? How do we reckon with the history of medical racism towards this patient community? Watch our two-part event on CRISPR, Sickle Cell Disease, and Society: A VR Explainer & Ethics Discussion, hosted by the IGI and the Bay Area Science Festival in October 2020, to explore these questions and more!

In the first part of the event, a CRISPR scientist explains what causes sickle cell disease and how CRISPR genome editing may be used to repair the sickle mutation (0:00–12:26). You’ll be taken on a virtual tour to see how sickle cell affects the body and watch CRISPR in action (12:26–19:26)! Following the tour, a set of panelists have a candid conversation on science and society, including topics like health disparities in the U.S., race and racism in medicine, access to emerging therapies, the ethics of CRISPR, and more (25:29–end). Watch the video below or scroll past it to learn more about the participants and see our recommended follow-up reading.