CRISPR Symposium at University of California, Berkeley
Over the weekend of 26th and 27th of October, Genepool Productions' Creative Director, Sonya Pemberton, was invited to speak at the CRISPR Consensus? hosted by the Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California in Berkeley. The two day symposium involved a public debate about the future of genome editing in human reproduction.
Sonya joined 20 distinguished speakers from diverse backgrounds, expertise, and countries of origin, discussing critical questions around public participation in decision-making about genome editing.
“The symposium brought together an incredible range of international experts; from those who explore genome editing in relation to faith, morality, diversity and disability, to those who study public engagement via Twitter, town hall meetings and a wide range of media. Many nuanced conversations about CRISPR and the importance of genuine public engagement ensued. One provocative question stands out for me, what will happen if we do NOT engage the public?" Sonya Pemberton
New gene-editing technologies, like CRISPR, have the potential to profoundly shape the future of humanity. Driven by the desire to go take this conversation to the people, Genepool Productions has partnered with the Centre of Deliberative Democracy and Governance and experts from six countries, to build the worlds’ first Global Citizens’ Assembly on Genome Editing, an unprecedented event specifically designed to engage the global public in this vital issue.