Gene Editing May Produce a Frankenstein Nobody Can Stop, Warns Biotech Investor Perry Marshall

CHICAGO, Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Venture capitalists have poured hundreds of millions into a gene editing method called CRISPR. This empowers scientists to edit genomes almost as easily as the Find and Replace function in Microsoft Word.

"In theory, gene editing promises to end birth defects, halt malaria, and give us designer babies," notes Perry Marshall, founder of private equity firm Natural Code LLC.

He says, "Editing genes is like conducting a symphony. It may sound easy and look easy, but if you demand professional results it's incredibly hard. Genetic engineering will likely become the next billion-dollar industry, but it will be a very bumpy ride. Some VC firms will lose tens of millions – not just in capital investment, but in liability for the mistakes their companies make."

Marshall continues, "Many scientists still presume our genomes evolved through a process of random mutation and natural selection. Our genes certainly evolved, but evolution theory itself is in a massive state of upheaval. This is because we now know adaptive steps are engineered by the cells themselves. And we don't yet understand exactly what cells are doing."

Marshall, the author of Evolution 2.0: Breaking the Deadlock Between Darwin and Design, is the founder of a $5-million Evolution 2.0 technology prize. He is CEO of a private equity group that is funding a search for the underlying principles of cellular intelligence.

Marshall points out: "CRISPR gene editing was already present in nature a billion years ago. CRISPR itself was obtained from bacterial machinery that recognizes and destroys viruses," he says.

"Most genome editing breakthroughs in the future will likewise be borrowed from existing systems built by nature. Those who assume humans are smarter than nature are in grave danger of building Frankensteins that cannot be stopped. Gene Drives are genetic programs which in turn re-program future generations, and they can behave unpredictably."

Marshall recalls Barbara McClintock in the 1940s. "McClintock discovered that her corn plants could cut, splice and reprogram their DNA. Her colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory derided her discoveries. She had no choice but to go underground with her research for 20 years.

"But she won the Nobel Prize in 1983 for discovering 'jumping genes' or transposable elements. McClintock insisted nature is far smarter than us. We're in danger of repeating her colleagues' mistakes in genome editing – but this time, with wildly unpredictable consequences."

Marshall is not against genome editing; he insists we have a responsibility to repair, heal and guide nature. "I see great potential for eradicating genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, which is caused by a single-letter copying error."

"But we need to exercise humility. And we must upgrade our understanding of evolution," he says. "The Neo-Darwinian model of evolution still touted in most textbooks has been dead since the 1990s. If we don't update our model, we're destined to make some really dreadful mistakes."

Contact:
Perry Marshall
Founder
Natural Code LLC
(630) 474-4135
[email protected]
www.herox.com/evolution2.0

SOURCE Natural Code LLC