Hacking the Code

The Dark Side of DNA Editing

Hacking the Code

The Dark Side of DNA Editing

"Criminals could manipulate their own DNA to avoid detection on police databases," experts warned recently.¹ The proposed tool is a do-it-yourself gene editing kit that can be purchased online for less than $150. The technique is CRISPR, a breakthrough "molecular scalpel" method that enables researchers to identify an undesirable DNA segment and replace it with a corrected version. Originally intended to eliminate fatal human diseases and improve agricultural production, the relative ease and increasing accuracy of CRISPR make it a tempting tool for many, including bad actors.

The basic idea is to edit enough of one's own...