Genome Editing for Agriculture and Health: Issues of Policy, Training and Safety
Chennai, 08th October 2020 | As a part of the series of discussions on Transformational Paradigms put forth by The Peninsula Foundation (TPF), a panel discussion on Genome Editing for Agriculture and Health: Issues of Policy, Training and Safety was organised as a virtual event on Thursday, 8th of October 2020.
The Panel consisted of distinguished experts including Professor Emeritus S. Chandrasegaran of Johns Hopkins University, USA, Dr. Pankaj Joshi, Director and Head of Commercial Marketing at Merck, India and Dr Sivaprakash Ramalingam, Senior Scientist at CSIR- Institute of genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi. The discussion was moderated by Professor Desirazu N. Rao, Chairman of the Division of Biological Science at The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India with Air Marshal Matheswaran, Founder and President of The Peninsula Foundation (TPF) in chair.
Prof Rao began the discussion by providing initial insights into the field of Genomics and Gene-Editing. He gave a brief introduction to gene editing tools and set the stage up for the speakers.
Prof S. Chandrasegaran started with a Gedanken thought experiment. The main objective, he stated, is to replace the mutant gene with a normal allele in a mutated cell. Such editing can only be done with specific tools and techniques. Therefore the need for tools to edit mutant genes was the main reason for research in genome editing.
He further traced the path of the evolution of gene editing techniques from naturally occurring compounds that can cut proteins to the most latest Crispr/Cas9. Zink Finger Motif (ZF) which can link three base pairs and the subsequent Zink Finger Protein (ZPF) which can link and recognize eighteen base pair sequences are the pioneering tools that laid the basics of genome editing. Prof S. Chandrasegaran was the main architect of the ZF which forms the basics of genome editing as a field of study. Building on ZF and ZPF, in 1996, Zink Finger Nucleases were introduced. Professor explained that this tool could target specific genes and can cleave at any specific place desired. But the limitation in all these tools is that it can sometimes affect other genes also.
Crispr/Cas9, whose discovery won Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna their Nobel prize in 2020, is the latest tool which has addressed the problem of affecting other genes. Professor explained that unlike the previous tools, no protein engineering is needed for Crispr because the Cas9 protein is commercially available and can be bought cheaply. The tool’s precision is such that a guide RNA is used to target specific genes which are to be edited. Apart from its functional efficiency, it has also brought down the cost of gene editing substantially.
Professor further touched upon the applications of gene editing from non-browning mushrooms to hornless cattle and the potential of human therapeutics. On questions of ethical regulation, he opined that adding new genes into an organism should be strictly regulated whereas knocking off an undesirable characteristic gene can be left with minimal regulation because such mutations happen all the time in nature naturally.
He concluded by asserting that there is a strict code of ethics among the scientists that there can be no editing done in human embryo cells whereas editing and treating somatic cells is acceptable and can help cure many diseases.
Dr. Sivaprakash Ramalingam continues the discussion and focussed on the medical applications of gene editing. He briefed the audience on the conventional In Vivo and Ex Vivo gene therapies. The direct delivery of the therapeutic gene through an injection is called in vivo while a cell based delivery of the therapeutic gene is called ex vivo. He explained that these techniques are important in using gene editing research into medical applications.
He explained that common genetic disorders like Sickle cell anemia and beta Thalassemia have been affecting a large sum of people. Around 3,20,000 Sickle cell cases and 60,000 beta Thalassemia cases are being diagnosed yearly. Genome editing has the potential to treat these diseases and bring down the mortality rate. He talked about the hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin and the potential rekindling of the fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell patients to cure the disease permanently. He further explained ways to deal with hereditary disorders and how it can be potentially cured using gene editing technologies.
Dr. Pankaj Joshi of Merck, India, further continued the discussion on the application of gene editing and the state of affairs with respect to gene editing research in India. He stated that the maximum research in gene editing is done by Pharma (45%) followed by Biotech (36%). Academia does the least amount of research (19%) in India. He further stated that around 321 papers have come out of India on Crispr with Delhi leading the country with 76 papers in the last year. Other than Crispr, the focus areas include Cell line engineering, Genetic engineering, Diagnostic applications, Drug discovery, Transgenic plants, Transgenic animals and so on.
Dr. Joshi further discussed the importance of genome editing and the potential to transform the world in various fields including agriculture, cancer research and so on. Although funding has increased for research in recent times through academia-industry collaboration, he opines that technology reach is still quite low in India. He concluded his presentation with an outline of Merck’s contribution in the field of genome editing in India.
The discussion was followed by an interaction with the audience. The panelists answered questions on varied issues including agriculture, GM crops’ role in India, ethics of gene editing and so on. The panelists stressed the importance of research in basic sciences and awareness among people on the benefits of gene editing. They hoped that medical professionals were more aware of the latest research that might help patients with hereditary disorders which cannot be cured otherwise. Professor S. Chandrasegaran stressed the importance of providing opportunities to learn about genome editing at the high school level.
The discussion provided valuable insights on a technology that has the potential to transform not just medicine and diagnostics, but also daily life through the impact on agriculture and public health. Although ethical implications need to be addressed by the governments through regulation, the panelists felt that people need to be more aware of the potential of genome editing in various fields of life.