3366: Harvard Medical School: The Promise and Peril of CRISPR With Neal Baer

When we think about gene editing, the conversation often feels trapped between scientific journals and ethical debates too complex for public forums. In this episode, I spoke with Neal Baer, a rare voice who bridges both worlds.

Known to many as an award-winning television showrunner for series like ER, Law & Order SVU, and Designated Survivor, Neal is also a Harvard-trained physician and co-director of the Media, Medicine, and Health program at Harvard Medical School. His latest project brings all of that experience together in a new collection of essays that explores the promise and peril of CRISPR gene-editing technology.

Neal takes us on a journey that begins with his time as a medical resident treating a young sickle cell patient, and leads to a much broader conversation about science, ethics, and storytelling. We discuss how CRISPR is already being used to cure diseases like sickle cell, and how companies are now exploring gene edits that promise permanent reductions in cholesterol. But the real power of this discussion is not just in what CRISPR can do, but in what we still don't fully understand about its long-term impact.

The conversation moves into difficult territory—unintended mutations, germline editing, the risk of pathologizing human diversity, and the slippery slope of "enhancement" where only those with access can benefit. Neal raises critical questions about the social cost of deciding which conditions should be "fixed" and who gets to make that call. We also dive into the lack of political and regulatory oversight, and why a global framework, not just scientific advancement, is urgently needed.

This episode offers a powerful reminder that the future of CRISPR shouldn't be left solely to researchers or startups. It demands wide engagement, from classrooms to policymaking, and inclusive voices that challenge how we define progress.

How should we decide what counts as improvement when the very definition of being human is at stake?