Patients and their families motivate us to do the work that we do. Unfortunately, the Innovative Genomics Institute is only a research organization and cannot offer any form of treatment at this time.

Therapeutic gene editing is still in the very early stages of development. Finding a treatment or cure for any disease requires scientific research, extensive safety and efficacy studies, clinical trials, and more. We are years away from a real treatment option for any disorder. We are committed to seeing this through, but we are not there yet.

Genome engineering will have a big impact on humanity’s future, so it’s important to talk about it now. We want everyone to understand the science, the enormous potential, and the ethical implications of CRISPR gene editing.

If you have a genetic disease, think about whether you’d want to be part of a clinical trial one day. Look into getting your DNA sequenced, share with other patients, and connect with researchers and patient advocates through organizations like MyGene2 or the Rare Genomics Institute.

If you are a student, teacher, or just someone with an interest in science or ethics, we invite you to learn about genome engineering and to educate others. Consider writing a blog post or an article for your student newspaper. Share interesting articles on social media. Explain genome editing to your friends and family and discuss how you feel about it. Organize a public discussion in your community. Tell us how you’re getting involved and share your ideas with us on Twitter or Facebook!

We recommend reading “How to Make a Guide RNA for Cas9 Knockout” and visiting our “Tools & Reagents” section to find useful protocols, plasmids, cell lines, and more.

Media inquiries can be sent to Megan Hochstrasser at igi.press (at) berkeley.edu. If you are a student, the answers to your questions may be found in our many educational resources. There is written and visual content on genome engineering science and bioethics, explanatory videos, and many interviews with executive director Jennifer Doudna and other IGI members. Our "Ask a Scientist" program allows you to submit queries or interview requests to our team of knowledgeable volunteers.