An organizing team from Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division (University of Vienna), Department of Science and Technology Studies (University of Vienna) and “transform! europe” are proud to announce the upcoming International Symposium "Editing genomes with CRISPR: Between scientific breakthroughs and societal challenges".

An extremely important scientific revolution is taking place with the discovery and development of a gene-editing technology termed CRISPR-Cas9. With this tool, the genomes of various organisms can now be edited with unprecedented specificity and simplicity of use. This opens many possibilities for basic research. It also enables the development of numerous applications in biomedicine, agriculture, in addition to offering novel ways of tackling environmental challenges. The potential implications for the further evolution of species, including our own, as well as for our relationship to nature are profound. Thus, the ongoing scientific revolution opens up questions of safety and ethical responsibility, invokes issues of ownership and social justice, and raises the question of how we can collectively steer research practices towards desirable futures. We believe that decisions on when, where and for what purpose this technology will be applied are also political, not least in terms of their consequences. Thus, directing this discovery towards responsible applications and desirable futures, cannot be left to the sole responsibility of scientists, experts and the industry. [I want more information]