Increased awareness and decreased acceptance of genome-editing technology: The impact of the Chinese twin babies.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science
    • Subject Terms:
      Attitude* ; Gene Editing*/ethics ; Twins*; China ; Humans ; Mass Media/statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires
    • Abstract:
      Genome-editing technology has become increasingly known in recent years, and the 2018 news of genome-edited twins in China had a particularly significant impact on public awareness. In the present study we investigate the effect of Japanese media coverage on public opinions of this technology. To identify the effects we employ a questionnaire survey method on a pre-registered sample from online research company Macromill. Our repeated survey from 2016 through 2019 reveal a generally supportive attitude toward the medical application of genome-editing methods. To see this we employed a multinomial logit analysis examining the determinants of negative and positive impressions of the technology. Results show that although editing for medical purposes remained mostly acceptable, its use in fertilizing human eggs was increasingly rejected, especially in 2019, the most recent sample year. The suggestion is that while genome-editing applications in general medical fields are publicly accepted, its use in human functionality enhancement is heavily increasingly resisted. News of the twin babies in China did raise public awareness of the methods but also damaged their reputation. It therefore is important for genome researchers to hold such concerns in mind, keeping the public informed of changing technology fundamentals. As a related question we inquire into the public acceptability of genome editing for animal and plant breeding, such as in agriculture and fisheries, as well. We find the Japanese public views the medical and breeding applications of this technology to be unconnected with each other, despite that awareness of both has risen significantly in recent years.
      Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
    • References:
      J Hum Genet. 2019 Sep;64(9):945-954. (PMID: 31273322)
      Hum Gene Ther. 2019 Jan;30(1):36-43. (PMID: 29926763)
      Nat Biotechnol. 2017 Nov 9;35(11):1021-1023. (PMID: 29121022)
      Emerg Top Life Sci. 2017 Nov 10;1(2):169-182. (PMID: 33525765)
      J Hum Genet. 2019 May;64(5):397-407. (PMID: 30842598)
      J Hum Genet. 2018 Jun;63(6):745-748. (PMID: 29545588)
      Science. 2017 Aug 11;357(6351):553-554. (PMID: 28798120)
      Nature. 2015 Mar 26;519(7544):410-1. (PMID: 25810189)
      Front Genet. 2019 Jan 09;9:704. (PMID: 30687386)
      Nature. 2002 Mar 21;416(6878):261. (PMID: 11907548)
      Cell Stem Cell. 2016 May 5;18(5):569-72. (PMID: 27152441)
      Front Sociol. 2019 Dec 17;4:81. (PMID: 33869403)
      Nature. 2018 Nov;563(7733):607-608. (PMID: 30482929)
      Public Underst Sci. 2012 May;21(4):495-512. (PMID: 23038861)
      Am J Med Genet A. 2008 Jul 1;146A(13):1696-706. (PMID: 18546279)
      Nat Biotechnol. 2016 Sep 08;34(9):933-941. (PMID: 27606440)
      GM Crops Food. 2013 Jul-Dec;4(3):158-65. (PMID: 24002523)
      Science. 2015 Apr 3;348(6230):36-8. (PMID: 25791083)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20200918 Date Completed: 20201029 Latest Revision: 20240329
    • Publication Date:
      20240329
    • Accession Number:
      PMC7500613
    • Accession Number:
      10.1371/journal.pone.0238128
    • Accession Number:
      32946484