Expert panel approves human gene editing

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recently, scientists have been using chemical “scissors” to edit, or change, the DNA in living organisms. This swapping out of parts of DNA could replace faulty genes. In theory, it also might make it possible to create designer babies that are smarter or better-looking than other individuals. But some people have questioned whether such tinkering with human cells would be like playing god. Many people also worry that editing isn’t safe.
Those and other concerns have led some people to wonder if gene editing is so unethical that it should be banned. To answer that, a host of experts met in Washington, D.C., this week. After reviewing the science and other issues, they offered a temporary green light. On December 3, they said that research on human gene editing is needed and so should proceed.
But the experts also gave one big exception. Any cells edited in a lab may not be used to establish a pregnancy, they said. In other words, no designer babies! That also would mean researchers could not fix genetic diseases before a baby was born.
In recent years, scientists have devised increasingly precise chemical tools for cutting and pasting DNA. One recent result Scientists created beagles with extra muscle. In that case, the researchers used “scissors” known as CRISPR/Cas9.
Such gene-editing tools have become so cheap and easy to use that it might be possible to use them soon to cure genetic diseases. But some people think the technology also could be misused, either accidently or on purpose.
The recommendations made at the end of this week’s summit came from a 12-person committee. It had organized the meeting. These experts made it clear that any concerns they have are mostly about editing genes that would be passed on to future generations. This type of editing is called germline editing.