14.04.2021Epigenome Editing in medicine - preferable to Genome Editing?

In contrast to the vigorous debate on ethical and regulatory aspects of genome editing, epigenome editing has rarely been discussed from an ethical or legal perspective. The project COMPASS-ELSI broadens the scope of this discussion. Within an ethical and a legal subproject, novel applications of gene editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas on the germline as well as on the somatic level are evaluated. The leading research question of COMPASS-ELSI is whether epigenome editing needs to be evaluated differently from genome editing. Furthermore, the project's goal lies in initiating an ethical and legal debate on epigenome editing. In this workshop, we will discuss them with experts from our international advisory board.

The workshop is organized by the project groups at the Section Translational Medical Ethics, National Center for Tumor Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital (Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Winkler; Karla Alex) and at the Departement of Law at University of Mannheim (Prof. Dr. Ralf Müller-Terpitz; Ass. jur. Ali Güneş).

We cordially invite everyone who is interested in disussing the implications of these novel gene technologies in natural sciences, in ethical and in law to join the event!

Please consult the flyer (PDF, 656 KB)for further information.