Germ line genome editing and the emerging struggle for supremacy in the Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) balance of power

Abstract

The promise of genetic engineering to reduce the burden of disease on the human population, alleviate suffering and provide new avenues for mastering disease has recently been overshadowed by the announcement by He Jiankui of successful germ line modification of two human embryos, and their subsequent successful birth. The use of gene editing technologies enabled by CRISPR-Cas9 and related systems to successfully modify the germ line of humans has now been proven. The ramifications of this event are significant for both medicine but also in diverse other areas of human society. Such technologies can now be considered as a possible route to achieve military, economic and social advantage compared to rivals. In this article the possible emergence of a genetic warfare escalation is highlighted, and some simple avenues for military use of gene editing to enhance and augment friendly forces, or target enemy forces, are identified. We suggest that He’s work, conducted clandestinely and apparently outside of regulatory frameworks, possibly represents the Trinity Test of genetic warfare, and momentum driving an emerging genetic warfare arms race may be beginning to gather.