Ken Burns' “The Gene: An Intimate History” brings vividly to life the story of today’s revolution in medical science through present-day tales of patients and doctors at the forefront of the search for genetic treatments, interwoven with a compelling history of the discoveries that made this possible and the ethical challenges raised by the ability to edit DNA with precision.
This excerpt is the story of a young family with two children who have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. It is a deteriorating disease — and children with this form of SMA may survive to two years of age or older.
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