Journal article

Genetics experience impacts attitudes towards germline gene editing: a survey of over 1500 members of the public

Abbie Jedwab, Danya F Vears, Cheryl Tse, Christopher Gyngell

JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS | SPRINGERNATURE | Published : 2020

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas9 has revolutionised genome engineering and has the potential to radically change our approach to genetic disease. However, the potential for genetic modification of embryos has raised significant and complex ethical and social concerns. The scientific community have called for ongoing stakeholder consultation about Germline Gene Editing (GGE), in particular lay publics, to help guide policy, education, research and regulatory priorities. In response, we conducted a survey to gauge public support for GGE and describe the demographic, experiential and contextual factors that influence individual attitudes. Respondent support was measured across nine hypothetical medical and enhancem..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

Danya Vears and Christopher Gyngell acknowledge the infrastructure funding received from the Victorian State Government through the Operational Infrastructure Support (OIS) Programme, via the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Abbie Jedwab wishes to extend special thanks to Rayne Constantine for her assistance with online recruitment and Dr Sharon Lewis for helpful comments on earlier drafts.