Annex B – Technology reviewSection 4 – Omnipotent technologies
Genetic technologies could have application in all areas of human augmentation. For
this reason we have classified it, and other technologies with a similarly broad scope of
application, as an omnipotent technology.
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering refers to modification of
reproductive cells (germline engineering), or cells
in the grown organism (somatic modification).
Germline enhancement affects all cells in the
organism and the change is heritable (meaning
it can be passed on to the next generation).
Somatic modification, on the other hand, affects
only the target cells and the cells descended
directly from them, and is thus limited to the
individual subjected to the treatment. Somatic
modification, or gene therapy, to treat or prevent disease is still experimental although
there have been significant improvements in recent years.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) is a
technique for cutting specific DNA sequences. The method is based upon precise
manipulation of selected gene sequences by switching off, repairing or replacing existing
genes with genes engineered to produce a desired enhancement. Lessons from using
CRISPR/Cas9 has led to swift progress and in 2019 the technology was used in the
treatment of a patient with a deadly genetic disorder.^101
Potential and issues. Based upon what we know today, and if current predictions are
correct, genetic modification has, by far, the greatest potential for human enhancement.
According to the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),
genetic modification could be used to create super soldiers who ‘kill without mercy, do
not get tired, do not show fear and behave more like a machine than a human’.^102
There are, however, concerns regarding the safety of genetic modification, particularly for
heritable changes which are considered far more controversial than using the technique to
treat an individual when there are no other options available. To enhance general abilities
rather than cure diseases, however, the ability to edit DNA is not enough. It is also
necessary to understand the epigenetics, the complex mechanisms that govern how the
gene manifests itself in the body. Multiple gene activities and various levels of expression
are required for more complex capabilities. Genome editing works well where there are
single gene mutations resulting in a defined disease, but have a long way to go for multi-
genetic disorders.
101 Further detail can be found at https://www.npr.org/2019/07/29/746365947/doctors-in-the-u-s-use-
crispr-technique-to-treat-a-genetic-disorder-for-the-1st-.
102 Sawin, C., (2016), The Journal of High Technology Law, ‘Creating Super Soldiers for Warfare: A Look
into the Laws of War’.