'It's Totally Irresponsible': Canadian Ethicist Slams Rogue Russian's Plan to Edit Human Embryos
By Gemma Buck,
National Post
| 07. 08. 2019
Canadian bioethicists and genetics experts are speaking out against Denis Rebrikov, the Russian molecular biologist who plans — in defiance of international scientific norms — to alter human embryos using CRISPR gene-editing technology to allow prospective parents with genetic deafness to conceive a child who can hear.
“We are putting ourselves on the path to changing the human evolutionary story. This is not up to one scientist. It’s not up to a group of scientists or a group of political elites. It’s up to all of us,” said Françoise Baylis, a professor of philosophy and bioethics at Dalhousie University who serves on a World Health Organization committee that is developing global standards and oversight for editing of the human genome.
The ethical implications of this kind of rogue science are wide-ranging and nuanced, Baylis explained. But the obvious ones are dire: Making genetic changes to eggs, sperm, or early embryos, collectively called the human germline, affects not only the eventual person these cells may become, but also their offspring.Though there is a “spectrum” of views among scientists and ethicists about...
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By Center for Genetics and Society
| 07.19.2019
If you follow news about human germline editing — altering the genes and traits of future generations — you’re likely familiar with the name Denis Rebrikov. The Russian molecular biologist, who has ties to both research facilities and fertility clinics, has publicly declared his intention to become the second scientist to use CRISPR technology to alter the genomes of human embryos, establish pregnancies, and bring the resulting babies to term. While he originally said he planned to target the CCR5...
By Center for Genetics and Society
| 07.16.2019
On July 15, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for the creation of international ethical standards for gene-editing research.
The Center for Genetics and Society welcomes the introduction of this resolution, which highlights the importance of international cooperation and broadly inclusive public deliberation in making the consequential decision about whether to allow heritable genome editing.
“The timing is key,” said CGS’ Executive Director Marcy Darnovsky. “Just last month, a second...
By Jackie Leach Scully & Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, Guest Contributors
| 07.09.2019
Editors note: This article was originally published on impactethics.ca and is reposted here with generous permission from Impact Ethics.
In November 2018, the world learned that a Chinese biophysicist, He Jiankui, had used CRISPR genome editing technology to manipulate the genomes of two children prior to their birth to make them immune to HIV infection. This was followed by almost universal condemnation and calls for a global moratorium. But it was entirely predictable that before too long there would be...
By Rob Stein, National Public Radio | 07.01.2019
Scientists have created living entities that resemble very primitive human embryos, the most advanced example of these structures yet created in a lab.
The researchers hope these creations, made from human embryonic stem cells, will provide crucial new insights into...
