Gene kit could help criminals

A revolutionary genetic editing technique designed to repair faulty DNA could be used by criminals to disappear from forensic databases, leading experts have said.

It is hoped the Crispr system, which acts like molecular scissors to snip away damaged genes and replace them with healthy code, will eventually fix diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.

However, Professor George Church, of Harvard University, who pioneered the use of the Crispr technique, said it could also be used by criminals to disappear from forensic databases or evade detection. Crispr kits can be bought online for around £150 ($288).

Asked if Crispr could alter DNA to the extent it would make forensic evidence unusable, Church said: “We could do that today, easily.”

The therapy has led to biohackers performing dangerous experiments on themselves. The trend led the FDA to warn against self-administration of genetic therapies, saying kits for human use were against the law.

Dr Eleanor Grahamof Northumbria University, said it would require a “fairly extreme” medical intervention for criminals to use Crispr to alter their DNA. She added: “I could foresee a future when reference samples from a suspect may need to be tissue matched to the crime scene sample for comparison purposes, if this became a reality.”

Dr Alexander Gray of the University of Dundee, said that genetic editing in the livers of mice had shown the new DNA eventually takes over, replacing the genetic code. But he said it would be harder for humans. “If you were in the forensic database and you changed your DNA it would be possible to avoid detection, but I think it would be extremely difficult to achieve.”