Britain on Monday granted its first licence to genetically modify human embryos for research into infertility and why miscarriages happen, in a move likely to raise ethical concerns.

“Our licence committee has approved an application from Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute to renew her laboratory’s research licence to include gene editing of embryos,” the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said in a statement.

“As with all embryos used in research, it is illegal to transfer them to a woman for treatment.”

The decision makes Britain one of the first countries in the world to grant this type of authorisation for experimentation on human embryos, although similar research has been carried out in China. The work could begin in the next few months.

Dr Niakan has said she is planning to modify the embryos using a technique known as CRISPR-Cas9, which allows scientists to insert, remove and correct DNA within a cell. The embryos will only be used for basic research and they must be destroyed within 14 days.

Meanwhile, critics have warned about the potential of “designer babies” but several researchers hailed the decision saying it will “assist infertile couples and reduce the anguish of miscarriage”.