Greek mythology tells of Pandora, who was given a box containing hope. Upon opening it, she unwittingly released a host of evils into the world, including disease, death, and suffering.

Recently, the Government unveiled its plan to introduce new gene technology legislation to Parliament by the end of the year. Modelled after Australia’s Gene Technology Act 2000, the new legislation will relax current restrictions. It aims to exempt some gene technology from regulation and streamline the approval process for others.

While often characterised as “precise,” the technique can produce unintended DNA changes near the targeted area, known as off-target effects.

The goal: finally get gene technology out of the lab and into New Zealand. In doing so, we may open a Pandora’s box of unintended consequences.

Gene technologies allow scientists to alter organisms’ genetic makeup, essentially “redesign[ing] biological life-forms.” CRISPR, a prominent gene editing technique, targets specific genes for modification. While often characterised as “precise,” the technique can produce unintended DNA changes near the targeted area, known as off-target effects.

In the US, monarch butterflies are now endangered, partly due to GM crops’ impact on milkweed, their primary food source.

Off-target effects of gene editing can be severe, including gene rearrangement, activation of cancer-causing genes, deactivation of tumour-suppressors, and other mutations. One study found that genetically engineered cows included “additional DNA for bacteria, including a gene that confers antibiotic resistance.”

Gene technology’s unintended consequences can be far-reaching. In the US, monarch butterflies are now endangered, partly due to GM crops’ impact on milkweed, their primary food source. Similarly, herbicide-tolerant GM plants have intensified chemical agriculture, devastating ecosystems. An estimated 550 million birds across Europe and the UK have perished from loss of food sources.

There are also moral concerns about the balance of power between farmers and those who hold patents on genetically modified organisms. Likewise, allowing gene technology to be used in humans risks us falling down the slippery slope to eugenics—it’s easier than you think.
These are just some of the potential unintended consequences that we know about.

Gene technology tinkers with life at its basic level.

Sometimes, adverse outcomes of a new technology go unrecognised for years. Take Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) as an example. This common over-the-counter drug was first marketed in 1893 and has long been considered one of the safest painkillers around. Recently, however, one meta-study found “a consistent association between acetaminophen and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes” in children, such as autism, ADHD, lower IQ, and developmental delays, leading it to recommend “limited use” during pregnancy.

We don’t know what we don’t know.

Gene technology tinkers with life at its basic level. Unsurprisingly, this technology has the potential for significant and far-reaching unintended consequences.

“Regrets,” as Joseph Campbell once warned, “are illuminations come too late.”

While the box of gene technology might hold hope for a better future, it also contains dangers that, once released, won’t easily be contained. We must proceed with caution lest we open our own Pandora’s box.