Teen is one of the first ever to get his genes edited. Why he says the process is 'cool and freaky'

CNN's Meg Tirrell sits down with Johnny Lubin, one of the first in the world to try a new kind of medicine that uses a gene-editing tool called CRISPR to offer a potential cure for sickle cell disease. #CNN #News

[@cloudythagreat]

Beyond happy for him I’ve had sickle cell for 21 years and I went through the same gene editing process and it’s been more than a dream come true just when I was all out of options and just biding my time this was presented to me and my family and I’ve been in the best physical health of my life ever since💯👍🏽

[@TheLawrence05]

So you are actually the first on the planet to have the editing?

[@teresalegler2777]

Wonderful news. Prayers for continued good health.

[@jakegutierrez7470]

A few hundred people have actually already been cured of sickle cell through gene editing, the boy in the video is just one of the first teenagers to have it done !@@TheLawrence05

[@cloudythagreat]

@@TheLawrence05 not on the planet but one of the first people in Cleveland

[@cloudythagreat]

@@teresalegler2777 thank you !

[@afrolatinagrl]

I lost three sisters to sickle cell, and it brings me joy to see this. I wish all the best to Johnny and all the other patients.

[@mach1553]

I hope it works w/o side effects.

[@lawsattitude1999]

Sorry to hear this.

[@lawsattitude1999]

@@mach1553 There will be side effects. Let's just hope that they ain't major and the treatment is still worthwhile.

[@xDueyx]

There won’t be any

[@voorkobserve4716]

In Canada, 6 beds out of ten are used for people afflicted with schizophrenia. Gene editing will be a major turn point for humanity and hopefully for the best.

[@tatum635]

at very HIGH costs at first. it could take decades to be affordable when it finally gets approved for the general public.

[@anandvannalath3104]

@@tatum635 Unfortunately, you're right. I watched another video by SciShow about gene therapy and it was talking about sickle cell treatments. The treatment cost around $2.5 million, though hopefully with societal pressure and the rate of development of technology this can become a treatment available to everyone.

[@DerScheisse]

I would imagine the health industry would disapprove having their business taken away.

[@BurritoMassacre]

What a sweet kid. Wishing him a lifetime of success and health.

[@MentalPistol]

you sweet for that

[@jevinday]

"do you feel like a medical pioneer?" "I don't know, I feel like a guinea pig" This kid is funny 😂 I hope he's doing well

[@wegotthis247]

His smile and demeanor are infectious!!! That huge smile made me click for the story😁Such great news for him and his family. High five to the doctors, researchers, and funding!!!

[@kimberlyaccurso1921]

What a beautiful young man. Best wishes for a fantastic pain free life !🙏🏻❤️

[@martyschrader]

It doesn't hurt that they chose a good-looking, well-spoken kid from good-looking, well-spoken parents. Walking advertisements. Well done.

[@MsMarmima]

? Why make things weird

[@psychologicalpotatoe]

Bro is just a straight up chill dude fr

[@lpg12338]

Hopefully the young man has a long and healthy life.

[@marshmello6636]

Nope he is just sterile now

[@Januaryschild]

How do you figure that since the cells edited were hemoglobin not sex cells?

[@madelinemanor3367]

Go Johnny go! Your attitude is amazing, and your smile is the brightest 👍👍👍 from a California Granny 👍🥰

[@tragicrhythm]

Extraordinary technology and outcome. Hope the results are lifelong for the kid!

[@ssmt2]

Ya gotta love modern medical science! Hopefully the cost can be brought down enough that the treatment can be made available to everyone that needs it.

[@MandyX19]

This is amazing! I hope this is something they are able to make more affordable or a procedure that insurance covers to help sickle-cell patients and their suffering. But we know how the insurance companies are. Either way this is amazing!

[@teresalegler2777]

Fantastic news! Best of luck! Love the progress in Medicine.

[@thiosemicarbizidebenzoylal2921]

How this possibly could cost 2 million dollars is a mystery once you understand this procedure. Fraud in medicine is ridiculous.

[@afanaobeba7876]

You bet! Milking every penny from every potential patient. The high cost is possibly because of the small pool of eligible patients who can actually afford it. If there were 10 million potential clients, the cost would likely be more reasonable.

[@thiosemicarbizidebenzoylal2921]

@@afanaobeba7876 I read the research paper and this is Easily done for under 25k if that. 2 million is some fictitious number made up by a scammer.

[@RedzicMuharem]

can you offer it cheaper?

[@thiosemicarbizidebenzoylal2921]

@@RedzicMuharem Dang right if i am allowed to use the proprietary information and facilities SUBSIDIZED by the government.

[@RedzicMuharem]

@@thiosemicarbizidebenzoylal2921 then go do it

[@ADAJ3KINGANGEL]

Know your blood type and that of your partner so your kids don’t have to go through the pain of sickle cell.

[@95601]

How does blood type affect this?

[@ADAJ3KINGANGEL]

@@95601 people with ro subtype are affecting the most. Sickle cell mostly affects people of African descent because it’s a mutation that fends off malaria.

[@jinxterpinxter]

Sickle cell has NOTHING to do with blood type.

[@bmjpdx9222]

@@ADAJ3KINGANGEL Thank you. Never knew the connection with malaria -- the good news is, the bad news is.

[@redstarchrille]

@@ADAJ3KINGANGEL Kid... No mutation are not for fending of malaria, but people with it dont get as sick, due to malaria parasite cant bind to misshaped blood cells. Mutation happens at an rate of 1 in 10^-8 per generation. hemoglobin type is not a blood type.

[@Omarbrown204]

😢😢I can’t wait to get my son this cure I go through so much with him

[@calvinmurry1096]

Don't forget Henrietta lack. And a bunch of other stuff done to blacks. Including experiments on me. I have thalassemia and sickle cell trait.

[@angel-vz7ii]

What a cute kid. Wish him all the best. Be well.😊

[@edpoletto8048]

Incredible!!!!!!! All the best to you. Another reason why health care should be universal.

[@alexanderangelo7284]

This is only the beginning....

[@MissesWitch]

"cool and freaky" is exactly how I'd imagine it to be!

[@lowellbrown1122]

Did they talk about the drawback? The risk of developing cancer

[@scillyautomatic]

If the past three years have taught me anything it's that scientist always have public safety FIRST in mind. And that they would never misuse their mountains of grant money for nefarious reasons...

[@scillyautomatic]

This technology WILL be used by bad people with bad intent for money, power, fame, control.... you name it.

[@Jecoopster]

You sound like an antivaxer😂

[@Welmosca]

Right?

[@sireconde5969]

@@Welmoscawow sarcasm. I wonder if u ever visited a doctor, use any science related medicine, or anything that science? Just a thought.

[@gregsutter1805]

Polls now show 24% of u.s. citizens know one person thats been injured by the c19 vaxx and updates. Soon the public will be outraged.

[@codename495]

What an amazing thing! I remember patients coming into the ED in SC crisis. So much pain and suffering. How wonderful!

[@kjmtraveler2493]

Praying for the success of this treatment

[@smooth2477]

Amazing story so happy for the family

[@springbloom5940]

Genetic engineering will never ever go wrong

[@Inmyownleague]

Not from the point of view of the ruling elite

[@springbloom5940]

@@Inmyownleague Yup. Already experimenting on black children 🙄

[@jaegeru3535]

Get your zombie bunkers ready

[@BlanBonco]

It could go wrong sure but with him we will be able to see what happens. Crops and animals are another story.

[@davericks4228]

So cool! Great news for this young man's future :)

[@monicarust2383]

Precious boy! Great news!!!❤❤❤

[@whitebluesky6932]

Hope it helps him feel better 🙏🙏🙏

[@Thaiurbangarden]

Omg this kids is so smart and hilarious! I love his personality! I’m glad his treatment is working and pray the treatment last longer than expected!

[@soulchorea]

Man this kid is a perfect 50/50 blend of his parents 😄

[@wendigo53]

Mr. Lubin now 17 feet tall.

[@katyafaucher4468]

What this kind of procedure open the door to terrifies me.

[@kjdnyhmghfvb]

The diseases that they are helping, should be terrifying you

[@JoiCarlaBodyBar]

Yeah...... Even you can see the unsettledness in his face. He may be smiling but it's still a concern. I actually see the concern in the sense even though he's smiling but everyone else is trying to throw it under the rug Yes, he may feel better and I'm glad he feels better but I know at night time he's thinking. I just wish the parents would have waited

[@Johnieboi]

Scientists are amazing.

[@malachite072]

Thanks to them we can have what we want and need.

[@shanenoel1270]

​@@malachite072 YEAH! At a cost. High blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease has been around since time. Scientist have done nothing to cure any of those diseases. There are more people suffering from those diseases.. are they not? Scientists are frauds in la coats.

[@afanaobeba7876]

$2million!!!!!! WTF!

[@timnottage8626]

exactly!!!

[@tiffanyannejocelyn6908]

God love you johnny! I hope it's permanent.

[@saturdaysequalsyouth]

The future will be stranger than any of us mere mortals could have possibly imagined

[@BlahstarRecords]

it will be good and bad, just like the world has always been

[@manonyc1019]

Thank god that boy looks so happy now

[@seanspartan2023]

This is how "I Am Legend" starts.

[@margaretenoha5394]

Banker Cabal Eugenics

[@Kenny-tl7ir]

You are moaning over a kid being cured of a deadly disease. How miserable are you?

[@ghostmantagshome-er6pb]

We are on the right track.

[@z3iro383]

"Curing sickle cell disease" sounds like the most unrealistic, far-off fantasy, mentioned in the same sentence as "bring world peace" and "make unicorns real." But we might've just done it for real.

[@tiffanyalberti2029]

3 of my blood relatives died in less than a year. 98 percent of my family is dead. I lost my father to kidney disease. My mom to Alzheimers. My uncle to a heart attack. My family has a long list of sicknesses and illnesses. One day my families medical history is going to come to take me out as well. I am so close to being the last surviving member of my family. If my parents genetically engineered me and their parents engineered them then this would not be happening to me. I was born in 1980. No such thing as genetic engineering then. Maybe it's not that bad.

[@payasoinfeliz]

I used to play online video games a lot. I befriended another player through this game, he was friendly, and we played several times per week. Then one day he stopped logging on. I later found out he died of sickle cell disease. Was super sad to hear about it. I didn't even know about the disease beforehand, and had no idea he had it. Glad to see this advancement saving lives. Game on!

[@williamhornabrook8081]

$2 million per treatment is super eye watering, but this is beginning and that should come way down over time. Very exciting stuff!

[@sb5224]

It is to be covered by employer insurance and Medicaid.

[@NoSoyYo-TV]

I wish I could help in someway. Look at that smile. Give those scientists what they need .

[@wearedustinthewindinthewin7239]

Hope this medical treatment is lifelong.

[@JesusChristDenton_7]

"We are not only men of science: we are men of hope." - Dr. Jonas Venture

[@Smiley_101]

I remembered 9 years ago when my nephew were born and we found out he has Down syndrome I went online looking for cure for him and at the time it was gene editing it was an early stage . I remembered being hopeful that one day there will be something out there for my nephew and I’m so happy that we getting closer n closer . I know there so many peoples would benefits so much from this and hopefully they can make it affordable for everyone as well

[@rileydahlgren2614]

cure? whats wrong with him? are you implying the enforcement of eugenics? The same eugenics that led Hitler to kill millions, spearheaded caste systems?

[@oddlilbird]

This is wonderful!! Congratulations✨💜✨

[@dlite6999]

My boyfriend has Tri Cickle cell anemia I wonder if this therapy "chrisper "Curious to hear more good news about this treatment working for many diseases

[@pakman3777]

I hope everything works out how they think it will

[@larrymunn5279]

Probably not. Gene editing to my understanding at this stage is just breaking a link and making sure it stays broken as the body will attempt to repair it. It's messy. But, could be old news already I ain't heard much about it in years. Gotta start somewhere if you have a place to start from. Long as it can do more good than harm.

[@IAmTruth-xj4es]

Every time I hear of gene editing or therapy, I think of Jesse Gelsinger and all the lessons from that trial gone wrong. Still, I very much hope this young man continues to heal from sickle cell. Wish him all the best.

[@lisamareeaccary5132]

Wow ! That’s amazing, I hope it’s a cure for him ❤

[@captaingoodguySentientA.I.]

when you vote for “affordable housing” it has nothing to do with making housing more affordable to the average homebuyer. what you’re actually voting for is more HUD housing or housing for drug addicts, felons, and mentally ill people. affordable housing is a scam run by democrats.

[@johnnykananaskis335]

2 million dollars per treatment? That's pathetic

[@redstarchrille]

Human body have 35 trillion red blood cells that has to be modified. And this with modified DNA markers at the exact spot.

[@patrickwalsh4615]

That's murica! 🇺🇸 💩🇺🇸💩🇺🇸

[@dysfunc121]

2 million per treatment? That's steep.

[@severtone263]

$ 2 Million! That is way out of reach for most people..... even after the price goes down. Say it goes down in cost by 90% (which is a VERY generous estimate here), it is still going to be $ 200,000. Still out of reach.

[@sb5224]

I see your point. But, from commercialization point of view, it took 12 years of research and almost $1.5 billion dollars in research funds. So, they have to charge a high price so that they can pay back the investors with great earnings. Secondly, it will be reimbursed by employer insurance and Medicaid in US and other nationalized insurance systems in EU. However, yes it won't be accessible to people in under-developed countries. That will take 50 more years. You need top medical facilities to administer this complicated treatment (there are only 10 in US who have the capacity).

[@Hakushodemon]

very cool. id watch a documentary on this new medical technique. its expensive now but it could become widely available with enough rich people using it. after awhile it could become cheap

[@paperbagbrown1326]

What's harder to find? A bone marrow donor, or $2,000,000?

[@Fredfredfredfredfredfredfred]

I’m pretty sure the first drum clip was that one drum beat

[@zazo1625]

HAH yes I was looking for someone else who heard it

[@Fredfredfredfredfredfredfred]

@@zazo1625given the circumstances, our boy trolled exquisitely. 🤌

[@sa4769]

I’m very happy for him

[@joefreeman3772]

Amazing, black people being selected to be the first to trial a controversial new Bio Technology? Reminds of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

[@Kleineganz]

Well, in this case they are treating an ailment that primarily affects Black people. One hopes the medical community has learned since the days of such horrific experiments.

[@metamorphic75]

So, is this a treatment or a cure?

[@larrymunn5279]

It's not a once and done thing once a gene is switched off or taken out of service your body will attempt to repair the damage. You have to ensure it cannot it takes a few rounds.

[@ungrateful-66]

It’s a neglected disease in the pharmaceutical industry for a good reason.

[@paleocon777]

Justice for Jonathan Lewis

[@herosnational5459]

2 millions traitement? 😢

[@asrar21000]

I have sickle cell disease and wondering where I can receive the treatment in the U.S ?

[@PenelopePitstop888]

Glad for biomedical science❣ So, if you're a person with "sticky blood" could that perhaps explain intractable or complex pain syndrome?

[@larrymunn5279]

I dunno I just remember my RN buddy telling me that sickle cell anemia is one of the most painful conditions you can have. I imagine it wouldn't be a mystery if it's that bad.

[@itsabovemenow1016]

I can't understand why this procedure costs two million dollars.

[@sb5224]

Because it took 12 years of research and almost $1.5 billion dollars in research funds. Where do you think that money comes from?

[@itsabovemenow1016]

@@sb5224 the insurance company to whom we pay premiums even though they can refuse us the benefits from the.12 years and $1.5 of research their customers paid for.

[@jensonee]

what could go wrong with trying new medical procedures on blacks.

[@sporter527]

damn das crazy

[@jensonee]

@@sporter527 that was

[@john_wick1]

I wish he can be a real mutant super hero

[@michaelleon2038]

Kid’s got good taste in video games.

[@chichomx623]

No you don’t need a donor just 2 MILLION 🤦🏻‍♂️ let me just get that out my account… crazy

[@nyfinest487]

Science is not cheap, what do you expect. With time it will get cheaper. Jesus you people always bitch about everything

[@MissesWitch]

he went from a deficiency to an upgrade!

[@meredithdriscoll3067]

So happy for him 🥰

[@CharlesReedPi]

"You don't need a donor?" Tell me you don't understand gene therapy without telling me you don't understand gene therapy

[@user-fb5pt7kw7l]

What a smart awesome kid.

[@DionneLong-km4kw]

Only people facing possible death should undergo such changes they are unaware of how it is going to effect them in the long run. Johnny's testimony is promising. I hope he is really healed, and has no equaling side effects, like turning into a bacterium! I hope he received good sequences, and most of all sustaining. Life sustaining is important, even if life must be done alone, because we're never truly alone; here with you, right here! 7 months ago CNN. A testimony of 2 years, living sickle cell pain free.

[@shondmichael1363]

2 million dollars per treatment. Seems like our people will be better off using the money to fund crspr labs and geneticist training colleges at HCBUs.

[@Klonkus]

Your people? Dude, they aren't going to help any of us.

[@connormartin1322]

A lab capable of performing CRISPR typically needs an NIH P01 center grant, something to tune of $50 million minimum.

[@ObsidianElohim]

Man that little dude got mad charisma. That's Tupac reincarnated right there.

[@LucasCosta-io8vr]

Just thinking about the implications os mind blowing

[@teenahweenah2608]

JUST SAY NO to ALLOPATHIC medicine.

[@margaretcarter1288]

Thank you to the new station for doing this story that affects mainly Black people hats off to you!

[@peachessmalls1857]

God please bless the doctors who helping people with sicle cell anemia, i hope they come up with a cure😊

[@bertog1217]

They've been doing this in China for awhile now

[@TheFinav]

Turns out... he IS a superhero.

[@sewoh100]

10 years Furries will be real

[@halohat2286]

This is the future and one of the greatest achievements of mankind of my lifetime.

[@markstevens1729]

To get the cost down to something not designed to make the rich richer, find this treatment outside the US.

[@DeanPickersgill]

Such a lovely story.

[@pixpusha]

Sickle cell kids have strokes early because of their mis-shapened red blood cells. It's incredibly sad.

[@kwakuosei51]

This awesome! Happy for them. Hopefully they can make this more accessible. In the meantime I'll have to figure out how to make 6 million+ to give my family a shot at trying this

[@RL.RachelLaurin]

Crisper and gene editing? Sounds like the movie Rampage 🙃

[@verilyveronica8430]

It’s how humanity ends itself but not our problem now .

[@redstarchrille]

@@verilyveronica8430 Kids... gene editing is nothing new. it's have been done since the 60s. The new things is the technices of doing it. Both are regulated by laws both national and international.

[@verilyveronica8430]

@@redstarchrille It does not change what I said in any way

[@Iknowyoumadnow]

Who.... must be before my time, carry on boomer

[@Iknowyoumadnow]

​@@redstarchrilleyou should "edit" your remedial comment SMH

[@ozzieman4392]

Best wishes for a long healthy and happy life!

[@moderndaycaveman2519]

So pretty much if you have the money you can get cured.... WOW

[@therealmr.incredible3179]

No gene editing for that Face 💀

[@duncan8345]

2 million dollars for treatment!!!!🤯 The hell!!!🤒😢😭.........This world is completely turning into a place of have vs have nots.😢