Gene Editing of Human Embryos – More Ethical Questions to Answer
By Dr Calum MacKellar,
BioNews
| 05. 11. 2015
Untitled Document
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).
Read more...
Related Articles
By Emma McDonald Kennedy
| 09.25.2025
In the leadup to the 2024 election, Donald Trump repeatedly promised to make IVF more accessible. He made the commitment central to his campaign, even referring to himself as the “father of IVF.” In his first month in office, Trump issued an executive order promising to expand IVF access. The order set a 90-day deadline for policy recommendations for “lowering costs and reducing barriers to IVF,” although it didn’t make any substantive reproductive healthcare policy changes.
The response to the...
Sir Francis Galton, 1890s, by Eveleen Myers (née Tennant)
npg.org
Public Domain via Wikipedia
As has been discussed in recent issues of Biopolitical Times (1, 2), there are, increasingly, companies that claim to be selling parents better babies by selecting the “best” embryos. These services don’t come cheap – think $50,000, or even more, for embryo testing, plus perhaps as much again for IVF and concomitant services. To most of us, that is extremely expensive...
By Margaux MacColl, The San Francisco Standard | 09.17.2025
Designer babies are coming soon to an IVF clinic near you.
Nucleus Genomics, founded by Kian Sadeghi in 2020, when he was just 20, got its start analyzing genomes to weigh a person’s risk of everything from cancer to ADHD...
By Marianne Lamers, NEMO Kennislink [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 09.23.2025
Een rijtje gespreide vulva’s gaapt de bezoeker aan. Zó ziet een bevalling eruit, en zó een baarmoeder met foetus. Een zwangerschap, maar dan zonder zwangere vrouw, gestript van zorgen, gêne en pijn. De zwangerschapsmodellen en oefenbekkens, te zien in de...