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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Observer editorial

The Observer view on the coming revolution in the prevention of disease and how Britain can’t afford to ignore it

A conceptual illustration of genome editing, in which a DNA sequence can be cut and altered.
A conceptual illustration of genome editing, in which a DNA sequence can be cut and altered. Photograph: Science History Images/Alamy

Hundreds of researchers, lawyers and ethicists from across the world will tomorrow gather at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing at the Francis Crick Institute in London. For three days, they will debate developments in a field that promises to have considerable consequences for medicine for the rest of this century.

As they will make clear, human genome editing will soon allow doctors and scientists to alter the structure of genes and in turn induce changes in physical traits, including reducing disease risk.

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