The breakthrough technology yet controversial one called the CRISPR-Cas9 allows human gene editing however, amidst ongoing ethical issues, it is now at the center of a lawsuit that can affect the future of genetic engineering. 

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This technique can allow to alter human DNA that could be used for numerous purposes where many believe that this can lead to purely unethical practice. Researchers from the University of California-Berkeley have discovered this gene editing tool where they believe it can prevent inherited diseases that can spare patients from further serious ailments.

Apart from deadly disease prevention, CRISPR can also be developed into greater techniques that involve the treatment of HIV and cancer and develop new food products to produce greater yields that can feed numerous populations. 

However, scientists are arguing whether to use this gene editing tool as this can also take advantage of the creation of "designer babies" that are custom created based on their parents' aesthetic values.

According to Jeanne Loring of the Center for Regenerative Medicine located at the Scripps Research Institute, high school interns in my lab can accomplish this method but there are reasons why scientists are still not doing it. It's not appropriate changing the physical appearances of humans, what more can other labs change if this method is not constrained.

Just this January, Chinese researchers have announced that they can now design primate embryos with desired hereditary traits. Geneticists were successful in altering the gender of the primates and even those genes that can affect the immune system functions and metabolism.

This March, scientis from China began conducting expriments on human embryos marking this the first time ever, in the effort to remove beta thalassemia which is a blood disease, from the developing cells.

Some of the gene editing tests were a success but others resulted in unwanted mutations in the human embryos. These embryos involved in the first human editing experiment were fertilized by two sperms that also imply that they will never develop into fully formed babies.

This lawsuit over the CRISPR patent of the gene editing technology could amount to over a billion dollars that can cause a grave dispute between UC and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

To date, Harvard University and MIT control all the patent to this technology that also involves permission to allow commercial licensing. Legal representatives of University of California are now filing for a request to take full control of its patent to the U.S. Patent Office.

TagsUC, MIT, CRISPR, human gene editing tool, gene editing technology, designer babies