2021 LS&HC Horizons - Flipbook - Page 24
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Hogan Lovells
CRISPR 2021: COVID-19 and Brexit divergence
While the world’s attention has very much been
on COVID-19, it may be easy to overlook the
other scientific breakthroughs of 2020. Gene
editing remained a hot topic, with Jennifer
Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier being
awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their
discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors,
which has transformed the field. It was also
reported in 2020 that the first ten patients
treated with a gene editing therapy (CTX001
for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia)
remained symptom free without the need for
blood transfusions.
The broad applicability of CRISPR has been
evident in the current pandemic. CRISPR-based
kits to detect SARS-CoV-2 have been rapidly
developed and authorized under emergency use
legislation, with the inventiveness demonstrated
even in the naming of the kits (“SHERLOCK”
and “DETECTR”). These enable rapid and
cost-effective testing without the need for
sophisticated equipment such as PCR machines.
CRISPR is also being investigated as a potential
anti-viral treatment, aptly named PAC-MAN,
in which the Cas13d enzyme is directed against
conserved regions of SARS-CoV-2 and degrades
viral RNA.
Meanwhile, post-Brexit, there are signs that
the UK may be diverging from the EU in this
area. In 2018, the European Court of Justice
ruled that gene edited organisms (including
crops) fell within the GMO Directive, essentially
putting a ban on genome editing in crops and
livestock. The UK government has recently
launched a consultation on the regulation
of genetic technologies, primarily focusing
on the regulation of gene edited organisms
containing genetic changes which could have
been introduced by traditional breeding. The
consultation document states that “DEFRA may
change the legislation to amend the definition
of a GMO as it applies in England.” Views are
also being gathered on the wider regulatory
framework governing GMOs.
These changes might mean that in contrast
to the EU, the UK would be able to use gene
editing techniques to develop crops which
have enhanced nutritional properties (such as
wheat fortified with iron or gluten-free wheat),
or which have resistance to disease meaning a
reduced need for pesticides or fertilisers. It may
also provide a mechanism to create fitter and
healthier livestock. For example, CRISPR and
other gene editing techniques have been used
to create pigs lacking genes coding for antigens
which are typically recognized by human
antibodies, paving the way for rejection-free
organ transplants, and as a source of medical
products, such as heparin.
In addition, pigs have been raised with a
resistance to viral diseases that may be able
to be passed on to humans: a prospect with
particular import to a world afflicted by virus.
Scientific response to the consultation has been
largely positive, but it will be crucial to attain
wider public engagement if gene edited crops
or animals are to become permitted under
regulation.
Rachel Gribben
Senior Scientist, London
rachel.gribben@hoganlovells.com
