CRISPR Gene Editing Teach-Out

Gene editing technologies must consider the range of impact to global populations. We may share the same human genome, but we’re also part of diverse communities, belief structures and separate nations, and they are not all affected equally by genetic technologies.

In New Zealand, the government program that funds the national genomic data archive is managed within a Māori values context, and follows the principles of Māori Data Sovereignty.

In the United States, historical mistreatment of marginalized populations like the Havasupai’s experience with community based participatory research can be used to inform more ethical methods for genetic research.

Krystal Tsosie, an indigenous bioethicist has further insights on recognizing and reducing exploitation of indigenous people in this interview with PBS. She states “To decolonize DNA is not anti-science, and it's not a rewriting of the fundamentals of DNA. One thing I always say is that Indigenous peoples are not anti-science; we're anti-exploitation. Science, as much as we like to idealize it, is not purely objective. There’s subjectivity in the types of questions that we choose to pursue, the types of questions our agencies fund. And then also the decisions that we make in terms of who to include and who not to include in studies also creates subjectivity. And also how those results are interpreted. Because if they don't properly take into account all the historical societal factors at play, then we are ignoring some key, potentially colonial factors that relate to health.”