Dr Edze Westra, from the University of Exeter, says gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 may usher in a golden era of health.
Dr Westra believes the ability to splice selected DNA into cells with great precision is destined to become 'super important' in the next two decades.
He foresees it transforming the human race by creating generations of people for whom cancer, failing vision, and the diseases of old age or bad genes are distant memories.