I'm a molecular biology researcher, and for the past three years our lab has been testing a CRISPR-based diagnostic for a rare genetic disorder. The results are promising—specificity around 95%—but every time we present to clinicians, they ask about cost per test, turnaround time, and regulatory hurdles. I'm starting to think that the real bottleneck in gene editing isn't the science but the reimbursement landscape and patient access models. Yet I'm aware that my perspective is from a well-funded academic lab, not from a community clinic. Should we prioritize developing cheaper, less precise diagnostics over perfecting expensive gene-editing tools that many patients will never afford?