A California “human biohacking” bill calls for warnings on do-it-yourself genetic-engineering kits
It’s going to be illegal in California to sell “gene-therapy kits” unless they carry a warning that says not to use them on yourself. Just one wrinkle: we’re not sure any such kit exists. Not yet, anyway.
The consumer protection rule is in a bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 30 and will become law in January. It targets hobbyist kits employing CRISPR, the versatile gene-editing tool that has revolutionized gene research.
Sales of certain do-it-yourself CRISPR supplies will be prohibited unless they carry a bold notice “stating that the kit is not for self-administration.”
The law appears to take aim at a California resident, Josiah Zayner, whose Oakland company, The Odin, sells genetic-engineering supplies to amateurs online. He won notoriety in 2017 when he filmed himself injecting CRISPR into his own arm.
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