All inherited diseases could be cured within 20 years, a leading British expert claims.
That includes eradicating life-limiting conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease.
Speaking at the world’s largest science conference, Dr. Edze Westra, a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter, says the breakthrough is possible thanks to new “gene-editing” therapies.
Known as CRISPR, they let scientists accurately cut out tiny sections of faulty genes and replace them with healthy DNA.
Westra said the technology will soon allow medics to screen embryos and replace genes that trigger illness before babies are born.
There are more than 4,000 known single-gene conditions.
And they are thought to affect around 1 percent of births worldwide.
It means doctors can one day use gene-editing to prevent these inherited conditions being passed on to future generations.
Westra said it could also be used to prevent cancer by removing rogue genes.
Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy in 2013 after revealing she had the BRCA1 mutation, which multiplies a person’s chance of breast cancer.
Westra’s comments come just days after two major US scientific institutions backed the technology.
The National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine both endorsed gene editing to prevent the passing on of serious diseases.
First introduced in 2012, CRISPR is already rapidly transforming research.
Asked where we will be in 20 years, Westra said scientists may have cured all inherited diseases.
Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston, Westra he said gene-editing is causing a “true revolution” in science and medicine.
He said: “A mutation in a gene that causes disease can now be repaired using CRISPR.
“In the coming decades, CRISPR will become super-important, and I think we will see it being used to cure genetic diseases and cancers.”
Scientists could also use the technology to fight off epidemics, such as malaria — and even cure cancer.
They hope to one day “cut and paste” genes into cells that produce antibodies against such diseases.
Westra said: “This is going further than just genetic editing and essentially placing the CRISPR machinery inside of cells so that they will always make, for example, an antibody in a mosquito which would prevent malaria infection.
“It’s like turning cells into a factory.
“But we need to do lots of lab-based work to find out what the implications will be.”
Critics warn the technology could be abused to create “designer” babies.
The technique could allow scientists to alter the color of a baby’s eyes or hair, height or intelligence by picking and choosing their DNA.
Dr. David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, said: “If scientists create GM babies, it will be impossible to avoid the ‘designer babies’ dystopia, because the line between therapy and enhancement has not been respected with any other medical technology.”
But Westra defended the technology.
He said: “The main thing is that I want to inform the public about we aim to do with CRISPR.
“There are fears about designer babies and we have to start having discussions about that so we can understand the consequences and long-term risks.”