Could CRISPR cure rare diseases before birth? Scientists are getting closer
CNBC · Gerry Smith ·
Researchers are exploring fetal gene editing to treat rare genetic disorders before they cause lasting damage.
One of the keys to curing a rare disease is treating patients early. But what if you treated them before they were born?
Over the past decade, several researchers have pursued this provocative idea. Now, they are starting to make meaningful progress in fetal gene editing, an approach that holds the potential to stop genetic disorders before it's too late.
"If you really want to prevent the worst ravages of the disease, you can't wait until they're born," said Kiran Musunuru, a gene editing expert at the University of Pennsylvania. "You've got to go in utero."