CRISPR Gene Editing: Environmentally Friendly Choice?

The School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES) brings to CSU and the community a CSU panel discussion on CRISPR, the next generation of genetically engineered products. Known for its simplicity and ease of use, CRISPR promises to provide an accurate and cheap means of transforming agriculture to meet the growing food demands of the future. CRISPR is a genome editing technique that is used in a wide variety of fields and is currently most prevalent in bio-agriculture. Unlike the current understanding around genetically modified organisms (GMO), which inserts foreign genes into DNA sequences, CRISPR technology cuts out genes and splices in new ones with the purpose of treating for genetic diseases. This editing of an organisms’ natural genome comes with questions regarding the security, safety and ethical risks to the environmental system. Will this technology be critical for making crops better equipped to handle heat, drought, and disease, or will it pave a path toward “designer babies” and “gene drives”?

Our panelists will weigh the costs and benefits of CRISPR by discussing genetically engineered products within the context of human and environmental health.

Join us at Avogadro’s Number (605 S Mason Street Fort Collins, Colorado 80524) from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10th, 2018.

Panelists:

• Stephen Pearce, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
• Graham Peers, Department of Biology
• Carol Wilusz, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology

The discussion will be moderated by Gene Kelly, Faculty Research Liaison at SoGES, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and Associate Dean of Extension.

The panel discussion, part of a Managing the Planet series, is free of charge and open to the public.