Ideas worth spreading

How CRISPR lets us edit our DNA

4,112,720 views |

Jennifer Doudna |

TEDGlobal>London

• September 2015

Geneticist Jennifer Doudna co-invented a groundbreaking new technology for editing genes, called CRISPR-Cas9. The tool allows scientists to make precise edits to DNA strands, which could lead to treatments for genetic diseases ... but could also be used to create so-called "designer babies." Doudna reviews how CRISPR-Cas9 works -- and asks the scientific community to pause and discuss the ethics of this new tool.

Geneticist Jennifer Doudna co-invented a groundbreaking new technology for editing genes, called CRISPR-Cas9. The tool allows scientists to make precise edits to DNA strands, which could lead to treatments for genetic diseases ... but could also be used to create so-called "designer babies." Doudna reviews how CRISPR-Cas9 works -- and asks the scientific community to pause and discuss the ethics of this new tool.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Jennifer Doudna

Jennifer Doudna

Nobel Laureate, biochemist

See speaker profile

The founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, Jennifer Doudna earned the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work developing the groundbreaking genome-engineering technology CRISPR-Cas9.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.