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Scientists around the world are anticipating the results of a Chinese study that would mark the first time DNA in a human embryo has been modified in a way that would carry into future generations.
Although the embryos would be for study only, and not intended for implantation, the research would mark a significant milestone: the first time human DNA had been altered so substantially that it would change the “germ line” — the eggs or sperm of any child produced from the embryo.
Theoretically that could allow parents in the not-too-distant future to essentially clean their own eggs and sperm of undesired genes — such as ones known to cause cancer — and prevent those genes from being passed on to grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As scientists debate the practicalities and ethics in journals and online, one expert says he believes the results will land soon.
“There is a paper from China. I don’t think it’s been accepted yet, but I think it will be at some point,” said George Church, a Harvard genetics professor who pioneered genome sequencing in...