“Maybe now with CRISPR gene-editing on the horizon, genetic diseases will become a thing of the past. ”
Maybe…I still remember the excitement 25 years ago when viral-mediated gene therapy seemed to be the answer to genetic disease. They even had clinical trials for cystic fibrosis. Those were actually a disaster and had to be halted and the field of gene therapy has not been the same since.
CRIPSR is more efficient/better than other methods, but the same problem applies to all gene therapies- delivery to the right place, and targeting all the affected cells. Cystic fibrosis was a good disease to target because the CFTR gene needed to be delivered to the lungs, which are accessible by inhaling. The brain and nervous system are much harder to target. What is more realistic at this point in time is gene editing in the embryo following IVF. This of course opens a medical ethics mine-field of designing the perfect healthy baby….