Cancer and all inherited diseases could be wiped out within just two decades using gene editing, a leading scientist has claimed.
Dr Edze Westra, from the University of Exeter, says gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 may usher in a golden era of health.
CRISPR is a ‘cut and paste’ technique where specific sections of double stranded DNA are snipped out and replaced with wanted genetic material.
Dr Westra believes the ability to splice selected DNA into cells with great precision is destined to become ‘super important’ in the next two decades.
He foresees it transforming the human race by creating generations of people for whom cancer, failing vision, and the diseases of old age or bad genes are distant memories.