A blockbuster gene-editing tool has been 'linked' to cancer here's how worried you should be

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Bold headlines linking blockbuster gene-editing tool CRISPR to cancer sent stocks in companies trying to bring the technology to medicine tumbling.

But scientists who study the technique say the concerns are overblown at best and an incorrect interpretation of the science at worst.

Ultimately, using CRISPR does not appear to present any challenges that scientists familiar with gene editing have not already faced.

Earlier this week, reports linking the blockbuster gene-editing tool CRISPR to cancer in two studies sent investors scrambling to pull out of companies working on the technology, which is being studied for use in everything from food to medicine. The tool's precise cut-and-paste approach to gene editing allows for a range of promising medical applications, from curing sickle cell anemia to preventing some forms of blindness.

On Monday afternoon, headlines suggested that cells edited with the tool were more likely to become cancerous. Within hours of the reports being published, shares of Editas Medicine, CRISPR Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics, and Sangamo Therapeutics — all of which are trying to bring CRISPR to medicine — took a significant tumble.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: Why 'moist' is one of the most hated words in the English languageSee Also:I tried out an 'aging suit' that mimics what it feels like to be 80 years old here's what it was likeAfter a 66 billion merger, Monsanto is disappearing sort ofTee-totalers are more likely to call in sick from work than moderate drinkers, according to a new studySEE ALSO: A controversial technology could save us from starvation if we let it

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