Scientists from the United States, China and Britain will come together to discuss the future of human gene editing, which holds great promise for treating diseases, but also has the potential to crea
Scientists from the United States, China and Britain will come together to discuss the future of human gene editing, which holds great promise for treating diseases, but also has the potential to create “designer babies”.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Britain’s Royal Society said on Monday they would join the US National Academy of Sciences in co-hosting an international summit on the topic in Washington on December 1-3.
The technology, called CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to edit genes by using genetic “scissors” that operate a bit like a biological word-processing programme that can find and replace defects.
CRISPR has excited academic researchers and drug companies alike, since it may allow them to rewrite the DNA of diseased cells. But it has also raised serious ethical concerns due to the potential to alter the genetic code of embryos.
“Human gene editing offers great promise for improving human health and well-being but it also raises significant ethical and societal issues,” said Royal Society president Paul Nurse. An expert committee will issue a report next year with recommendations to guide the responsible use of human gene editing.
China plays an important role since a group at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou published results in April of an experiment to alter the DNA of human embryos using CRISPR.
