Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
(cont)
Rob Stein/NPR
"Chinese patients want to be cured very much," Wu says. "There's a Chinese saying: A living dog is better than a dead lion. So patients are willing to try new cures. That's why the ethics committee and the lab are very positive about this."
But the less stringent oversight makes doctors and bioethicists worry that some Chinese doctors may be rushing ahead too quickly, possibly putting patients at risk.
"My concern is: Are we really ready? There so much about CRISPR that we don't understand," says , a bioethicist at the University of Chicago. "We could be doing more harm than benefit. We need to very, very cautious. This an incredibly powerful tool."
Ross noted that there are already drugs available that work that harness the immune system in the same way as Wu is trying to use CRISPR.
"One concern is: If you could do this with a medication rather than CRISPR, are you actually telling the participants about the alternative?" Ross says. "We have safe and effective FDA-approved drugs that could do the same thing. Are they being informed properly?"
Others express similar concern.
"China's like the Wild West," says Dr. , a University of Pennsylvania scientist involved in the of CRISPR to treat cancer that's finally starting after nearly two years of much more intense review than Wu's study in China.
The Penn study was evaluated by two federal agencies — the and the — as well as two separate committees at his hospital before getting the go-ahead.
"China has made this a very high priority — a national priority to develop this," June says. "There's some very high-quality research in China, and then there are others that are not high quality."
June doesn't have any specific concerns about Wu's study and doesn't think the U.S. should relax its safeguards to protect patients. But he worries the U.S. is falling behind like it did at the beginning of the space race.
"It's kind of like 2.0," June says, referring to the Soviet satellite that became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, shocking the U.S.
"CRISPR technologies have created a Sputnik moment where vast new improvements can occur if we focus on them and make it a priority," June says. "I want it to be done safely. But I want it to be a high priority."
And June would like to see a level playing field where researchers around the world follow the same rules.
For his part, Wu stresses doctors explained all the possible risks to the patients very carefully before proceeding. And he's already started treating patients with another kind of cancer — cancer of the pancreas.
"We [are] just beginning. We should improve it to get more benefits for the patients," Wu says. "If you don't try it, you'll never know."
Deng, Wu's patient, agrees, saying he fully understands the experimental nature of the treatment.
"I've never worried about this," Deng says. "I believe in science."
Rob Stein/NPR
"Chinese patients want to be cured very much," Wu says. "There's a Chinese saying: A living dog is better than a dead lion. So patients are willing to try new cures. That's why the ethics committee and the lab are very positive about this."
But the less stringent oversight makes doctors and bioethicists worry that some Chinese doctors may be rushing ahead too quickly, possibly putting patients at risk.
"My concern is: Are we really ready? There so much about CRISPR that we don't understand," says , a bioethicist at the University of Chicago. "We could be doing more harm than benefit. We need to very, very cautious. This an incredibly powerful tool."
Ross noted that there are already drugs available that work that harness the immune system in the same way as Wu is trying to use CRISPR.
"One concern is: If you could do this with a medication rather than CRISPR, are you actually telling the participants about the alternative?" Ross says. "We have safe and effective FDA-approved drugs that could do the same thing. Are they being informed properly?"
Others express similar concern.
"China's like the Wild West," says Dr. , a University of Pennsylvania scientist involved in the of CRISPR to treat cancer that's finally starting after nearly two years of much more intense review than Wu's study in China.
The Penn study was evaluated by two federal agencies — the and the — as well as two separate committees at his hospital before getting the go-ahead.
"China has made this a very high priority — a national priority to develop this," June says. "There's some very high-quality research in China, and then there are others that are not high quality."
June doesn't have any specific concerns about Wu's study and doesn't think the U.S. should relax its safeguards to protect patients. But he worries the U.S. is falling behind like it did at the beginning of the space race.
"It's kind of like 2.0," June says, referring to the Soviet satellite that became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, shocking the U.S.
"CRISPR technologies have created a Sputnik moment where vast new improvements can occur if we focus on them and make it a priority," June says. "I want it to be done safely. But I want it to be a high priority."
And June would like to see a level playing field where researchers around the world follow the same rules.
For his part, Wu stresses doctors explained all the possible risks to the patients very carefully before proceeding. And he's already started treating patients with another kind of cancer — cancer of the pancreas.
"We [are] just beginning. We should improve it to get more benefits for the patients," Wu says. "If you don't try it, you'll never know."
Deng, Wu's patient, agrees, saying he fully understands the experimental nature of the treatment.
"I've never worried about this," Deng says. "I believe in science."
