Gene Editing of Human Embryos – More Ethical Questions to Answer

The short article by Robin Lovell-Badge entitled 'Editing human embryos' (see BioNews 799) addressing the work of Junjiu Huang and colleagues in China (1) on gene editing in human embryo - such as the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system - raises a number of ethical questions (2). In this procedure, variants of genes are edited by removing or inserting genetic material into a developing embryo in order to see whether this could address a genetic disorder.

However, before such gene editing can be used in human reproduction, a number of biomedical challenges need to be addressed. For example, inserting or deleting specific DNA in the right place of the genome of a developing embryo without upsetting the biological equilibrium of cell is a difficult operation. A given gene may influence a number of different characteristics, which means that even if it were modified to influence a one dysfunction, this might give rise to unexpected consequences elsewhere. The overall result could be a modification that is actually harmful (3).

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