Journal Responds to Controversy Over Embryo Gene-Editing Paper
        
            By Jocelyn Kaiser, 
                Science Magazine
             | 04. 28. 2015
        
                    
                                    
                    
                                                                                                                                    
                                                                            
                              
    
  
  
    
  
          
  
      
    
             
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The journal that days ago published the first-ever paper on an   attempt to genetically modify human embryos has come out in defense of   its decision and rebuffed claims that the paper was not adequately peer   reviewed.
 
  The paper appeared online on 18 April in Protein & Cell,   which is co-published by Springer and an affiliate of China’s Ministry   of Education. Junjiu Huang and colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University in   Guangzhou describe their efforts to use the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing   technology to alter a gene in abnormal human embryos. Their gene-editing   effort was not very successful and introduced many unintentional   mutations.
 
  The paper has touched off a furor from scientists and others who have called for a moratorium on any efforts to establish a   pregnancy with such a genetically modified embryo. Many have deemed   Huang’s experiment unethical, and Huang himself has reportedly said that   the paper was rejected by Science and Nature in part for ethical reasons.
 
  This week, Protein & Cell defended its decision to publish the paper. An editorial posted online on 28 April says the journal’s...
 
 
  
 
    
    
  
   
                        
                                                                                
                 
                                                    
                            
                                  
    
  
  
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