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Genetically-modified human embryos could be made in a British lab within months.

The fertility regulator will meet tomorrow to decide whether scientists should be allowed to manipulate the genes of embryos donated by IVF patients.

If the researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London get the go-ahead they will be the first in Britain to alter the DNA of human embryos and only the second in the world.

However, the development, which is made possible by a new, highly precise way of manipulating genes, will raise concerns that Britain is on a slippery slope towards designer babies.

Used differently, the Crispr DNA editing technique could lead to the creation of ‘perfect’ children made to order by hair or eye colour.

Researcher Kathy Niakan has asked the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority for permission to study how an embryo’s genes affect whether it will survive the first week of life – a key time in the development of any future baby.

Currently, fewer than one in two eggs live for a week after fertilisation – and just one...