Gene editing could provide a revolutionary cure for gene-linked diseases. But does it take medicine too far?

Jonathan Kimmelman directs the biomedical ethics unit at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. His research focuses on the ethical and social implications of human testing for genetic technologies.

Ephrat Levy-Lahad teaches medical genetics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and directs the Medical Genetics Institute at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. She took part in the International Summit on Human Gene Editing in December 2015.

Annelien Bredenoord is a professor of the ethics of biomedical innovation at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. One of her areas of interest is how to ethically move medical advancements from the research to clinical care stage.

David Archard is chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a London-based organization that explores the ethics of medical advancements. He is also an emeritus professor of philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast. In 2018, Archard co-authored a Nuffield Council report endorsing the use of germline gene editing in some circumstances.

Thomas Eich is an Islamic studies professor at the University of Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany. He has written about how to apply Islamic teachings to bioethics debates and previously led a research group titled “Bioethical issues in the context of Islamic law.”

Erik Parens is a senior research scholar with the Hastings Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit bioethics research institute. He leads investigations into disability rights and what human flourishing means in the era of gene editing. Parens is the author of Shaping Our Selves: On Technology, Flourishing and a Habit of Thinking.

David M. Craig is a professor of religious studies at Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis. He also serves on the faculty of the school’s Center for Bioethics. Craig specializes in health care ethics, with an emphasis on economic access.

Ting Wu is a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School. She’s hosted discussions on gene editing with members of the clergy and other community leaders in an effort to increase public awareness.