Gene editing experts discuss whether controversy is rushing the still-young technology
6 years, 3 months ago

Gene editing experts discuss whether controversy is rushing the still-young technology

Firstpost  

A Chinese scientist’s stunning claim he has pioneered the world’s first genetically modified baby has suddenly made the eternal debate over ethics and emerging scientific capabilities pressing and real. “It’s obvious that everything that is technically feasible is not ethically desirable,” said Cynthia Fleury, a member of the French Ethics Committee. “Trying to rush the technology” The concern of the scientific community is that by stepping across established ethical red lines, ensuing public suspicion could crush a field of very promising research. “Trying to rush the technology forwards, skipping vital scientific and ethical steps, could end up setting us all back,” warned Dr Kathy Niakan, a biologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London. “You can’t just say that something is taboo and that’s that, you can’t ever think about it again,” Anne Cambon-Thomsen, a specialist in immunogenetics and health ethics, and emeritus head of research at France’s CNRS national scientific research centre, told AFP.

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History of this topic

The controversial scientist He Jiankui hasn’t given up on gene-edited babies
1 month ago

The controversial scientist He Jiankui hasn’t given up on gene-edited babies

The Economist  

T he world was shocked in 2018 when He Jiankui, a Chinese biophysicist, announced that he had helped to produce two girls whose genetic code he had edited when they had been embryos. Scientists around the world condemned the work as wildly premature and possibly dangerous—the Chinese authorities agreed and Dr He was imprisoned for three years. And he still …

Ethical guideline issued for genome editing
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Ethical guideline issued for genome editing

China Daily  

China has issued a set of ethical rules on human genome editing, reiterating a strict ban on altering germ cells and embryos and clarifying standard ethical practices for gene editing research. "At present, any clinical research involving germline genome editing is irresponsible and not permitted," it said. Regarding clinical research involving genome editing of somatic cells — which are cells …

Guideline sets ethical rules for human genome editing research
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Guideline sets ethical rules for human genome editing research

China Daily  

China on Wednesday released a guideline that lays out a set of ethical rules for human genome editing research. Regarding clinical research involving genome editing of somatic cells — which are cells in the body other than sperm and egg cells, it said that such research should be aimed at preventing or treating diseases and should be carried out after …

For man behind gene-edited babies, a rocky return to science
2 years ago

For man behind gene-edited babies, a rocky return to science

Associated Press  

Five years ago, scientist He Jiankui shocked his peers and the world with claims that he created the first genetically edited babies. Given He’s ambition,“I wouldn’t be surprised that a few years down the line if the opportunity arises, that he would go back” to that sort of work, said Dr. Samira Kiani, a genetic engineer and researcher at the …

CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life
4 years ago

CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life

NPR  

CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life Enlarge this image toggle caption Nick Otto/The Washington Post via Getty Images Nick Otto/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are the first vaccines to be activated by mRNA — and would not have been possible without the invention of the gene editing technology …

Still too soon to try altering human embryo DNA, panel says
4 years, 6 months ago

Still too soon to try altering human embryo DNA, panel says

Associated Press  

It’s still too soon to try to make genetically edited babies because the science isn’t advanced enough to ensure safety, says an international panel of experts who also mapped a pathway for any countries that want to consider it. If drugs or gene therapy after birth can treat a disease, “then it doesn’t make sense to me to layer the …

It’s still too soon to try altering the DNA of human embryos, scientific panel says
4 years, 6 months ago

It’s still too soon to try altering the DNA of human embryos, scientific panel says

LA Times  

It’s still too soon to try to genetically edited human embryos because the science isn’t advanced enough to ensure safety, according to a report by an international panel of experts who also mapped a pathway for any countries that want to consider it. Thursday’s report comes nearly two years after a Chinese scientist shocked the world by revealing he’d helped …

The World Health Organization Says No More Gene-Edited Babies
55 years, 2 months ago

The World Health Organization Says No More Gene-Edited Babies

Wired  

The world’s largest public health authority has weighed in with the most authoritative statement yet on the use of Crispr to alter the DNA of human babies. Eight months after a rogue Chinese scientist revealed he had secretly created the world’s first gene-edited children, the World Health Organization is asking countries to put a stop to any experiments that would …

2 Chinese Babies With Edited Genes May Face Higher Risk Of Premature Death
5 years, 9 months ago

2 Chinese Babies With Edited Genes May Face Higher Risk Of Premature Death

NPR  

2 Chinese Babies With Edited Genes May Face Higher Risk Of Premature Death Enlarge this image toggle caption Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg/Getty Images Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg/Getty Images There are new concerns about the world's first genetically modified babies. "I think we should always be concerned about unanticipated consequences of any new technology, not just gene-editing and embryos," says George Church, a professor of …

Scientists asked disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui for help gene-editing human embryos
5 years, 9 months ago

Scientists asked disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui for help gene-editing human embryos

Daily Mail  

A fertility clinic in Dubai asked disgraced scientist He Jiankui for help in controversial experiments modifying the genes of human embryos. Jennifer Doudna, a University of California, Berkeley, co-inventor of the CRISPR gene-editing tool that He Jiankui used, said that she has heard of others who want to edit embryos William Hurlbut of Stanford University speaks to reporters during the …

Another scientist is editing genes in human embryos, but ethically this time
6 years, 1 month ago

Another scientist is editing genes in human embryos, but ethically this time

Firstpost  

So far, the Columbia University scientist has allowed modified embryos to live no longer than one day. While the Columbia University scientist, Dr Dieter Egli, isn’t creating any genetically-modified babies or implanting these gene-edited embryos into mothers, he admits that the ultimate goal of his future research is probably just that. Egli is a developmental biologist currently working on genetically-modified …

Chinese scientist behind gene-edited baby study gets fired for illegal actions
6 years, 2 months ago

Chinese scientist behind gene-edited baby study gets fired for illegal actions

Firstpost  

Experts expressed their hope that the report was just the beginning, & more action would be taken. A Chinese scientist who created what he said were the world’s first “gene-edited” babies evaded oversight and broke ethical boundaries in a quest for fame and fortune, state media said on Monday, as his former university said he had been fired. He had …

Gene-edited babies: Chinese scientist was told ‘not to proceed’
6 years, 2 months ago

Gene-edited babies: Chinese scientist was told ‘not to proceed’

CNN  

CNN — As 2018 drew to a close, one scientist unveiled research that entered a new era of science. Everyone he talked to – which was not many people – had said “don’t go there,” “don’t do it,” explained Robin Lovell-Badge of the UK research facility the Francis Crick Institute, who organized the scientific summit in Hong Kong during which …

Scientists in China are losing touch with patients of gene editing trials: Report
6 years, 2 months ago

Scientists in China are losing touch with patients of gene editing trials: Report

Firstpost  

China has asked hospitals, universities to submit reports on all gene-editing trials since 2013. The technology that powered this boost, a tool called CRISPR-Cas 9 to edit DNA inside living cells, has come under fire from a recent controversy from one such researcher, He Jiankui, whose study led to the birth of twin girls “Lulu and Nana”, who Jiankui claims …

Chinese scientists who edited human genes have lost touch with the patients whose DNA they tweaked
6 years, 2 months ago

Chinese scientists who edited human genes have lost touch with the patients whose DNA they tweaked

Daily Mail  

Chinese scientists who edited human genes have lost touch with the patients they treated, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. The scientific community is concerned about ethics and unintended consequences just weeks after another Chinese scientist claimed he modified the DNA of twin girls to make them resistant to AIDS - and that he is working on another …

Experts urge oversight of experiments
6 years, 3 months ago

Experts urge oversight of experiments

China Daily  

Genetics research, conceptual artwork. CHINA DAILY Scientists, researchers say gene editing project was unnecessary, irresponsible The world urgently needs better international oversight of genome editing in human embryos, and to clarify the boundaries for related research, according to an editorial published in the journal Science on Friday. "To maintain the public's trust that someday genome editing will be able to …

Experts urge oversight of experiments
6 years, 3 months ago

Experts urge oversight of experiments

China Daily  

Genetics research, conceptual artwork. CHINA DAILY Scientists, researchers say gene editing project was unnecessary, irresponsible The world urgently needs better international oversight of genome editing in human embryos, and to clarify the boundaries for related research, according to an editorial published in the journal Science on Friday. "To maintain the public's trust that someday genome editing will be able to …

Screening the human future: YouTube, persuasion and genetically engineered children
6 years, 3 months ago

Screening the human future: YouTube, persuasion and genetically engineered children

Salon  

On Sunday, Nov. 25, the scientist He Jiankui claimed the birth of the world’s first genetically engineered children: twins, created by IVF, their DNA altered at fertilization. Instead of “CRISPR-Cas9,” the common name, he insists on the phrase “gene surgery.” It’s a naked attempt to make CRISPR sound precise, like a molecular scalpel. CRISPR is improving in accuracy, but as …

Gene editing: WHO panel to address complex issues
6 years, 3 months ago

Gene editing: WHO panel to address complex issues

CNN  

CNN — The World Health Organization is creating a working group to study gene editing and the complex ethical, social and safety issues the procedure raises. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, discussed the challenges gene editing technologies bring and the creation of an expert panel during a press conference Monday, where he warned of the potential for “unintended consequences.” …

What are the ethics of baby gene-editing?
6 years, 3 months ago

What are the ethics of baby gene-editing?

India Today  

Paris, Dec 1 A Chinese scientist's stunning claim he has pioneered the world's first genetically modified baby has suddenly made the eternal debate over ethics and emerging scientific capabilities pressing and real. "It's obvious that everything that is technically feasible is not ethically desirable," said Cynthia Fleury, a member of the French Ethics Committee. "Trying to rush the technology forwards, …

‘Extremely abominable’: Chinese gene-editing scientist faces law
6 years, 3 months ago

‘Extremely abominable’: Chinese gene-editing scientist faces law

Al Jazeera  

China condemns the work of He Jiankui as institutions distance themselves from the academic who gene-edited twin girls. Xi said genetically engineering the DNA of twin girls so they would not develop HIV, breached scientific ethics, adding that gene-editing of human embryos for reproduction purposes was “explicitly banned” in China. China’s National Health Commission said He’s activities would be investigated …

The scientist, the twins and the experiment that geneticists say went too far
6 years, 3 months ago

The scientist, the twins and the experiment that geneticists say went too far

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — Humanity was reluctantly dragged into a new era this week. “I see it as one of those moments that happens once every few decades,” said William Hurlbut, Senior Research Scholar at Stanford University Medical Center’s Department of Neurobiology. When one audience member at the summit asked whether He had thought about how the girls would see …

China suspends He Jiankui’s research activities
6 years, 3 months ago

China suspends He Jiankui’s research activities

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — China has suspended the research activities of the scientists who claimed to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies, state-run Xinhua news reported Thursday. “The gene-edited twins matter reported by the media has brazenly violated Chinese laws and regulations and breached the science ethics bottom line, which is both shocking and unacceptable,” said Xu Nanping, vice …

Genetics Summit waits for Chinese baby-editing researcher to take the stage
6 years, 3 months ago

Genetics Summit waits for Chinese baby-editing researcher to take the stage

Firstpost  

This is a great blow to China’s reputation & development of biomedical research: Chinese scientists. ‘Immediate investigation’ Qiu Renzong, formerly the vice president of the Chinese Ministry of Health’s ethics committee, told reporters at the gene editing conference that lax regulations in China mean that scientists who break the rules often face no punishment, and think of the ministry as …

Chinese scientist’s risky experiment with gene-editing babies (opinion)
6 years, 3 months ago

Chinese scientist’s risky experiment with gene-editing babies (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Ford Vox is a physician specializing in rehabilitation medicine. But the CRISPR technique isn’t perfect, and in every few hundred cases, in what is referred to as “off-target events,” it can edit the wrong portion of DNA, potentially creating unwanted mutations. Rice’s spokesperson told me in an email that “this work as described in press reports, violates scientific …

China baby gene-editing scientist defends his research, raises possibility of third embryo
6 years, 3 months ago

China baby gene-editing scientist defends his research, raises possibility of third embryo

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — The Chinese scientist who sparked an international outcry after alleging to have helped create the world’s first genetically edited babies has raised the possibility of a third child being born, after announcing that a separate woman was pregnant at an early stage with a modified embryo. He said his research has been submitted to a scientific …

Facing Backlash, Chinese Scientist Defends Gene-Editing Research On Babies
6 years, 3 months ago

Facing Backlash, Chinese Scientist Defends Gene-Editing Research On Babies

NPR  

Facing Backlash, Chinese Scientist Defends Gene-Editing Research On Babies Enlarge this image toggle caption Kin Cheung/AP Kin Cheung/AP Updated at 6:15 a.m. Enlarge this image toggle caption Kin Cheung/AP Kin Cheung/AP She spoke after Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley alluded to He's claims as "missteps" that he worried might set back a highly promising field of research. "Just because …

Inventor of CRISPR calls for a global moratorium on gene-edited embryos, humans
6 years, 3 months ago

Inventor of CRISPR calls for a global moratorium on gene-edited embryos, humans

Firstpost  

The risks of such an experiment are still far greater than its benefits, Zhang said in a statement. A Harvard and MIT member, renowned genetic research Feng Zhang made the statement after a Chinese researcher claimed having helped create the world’s first babies with modified genes using CRISPR. The researcher claiming to have contributed to the success of the gene-editing …

Scientists, officials in China abhor gene editing that geneticist claims
6 years, 3 months ago

Scientists, officials in China abhor gene editing that geneticist claims

Live Mint  

Beijing/Shanghai: Chinese officials and scientists denounced on Tuesday the claims of a geneticist who said he had created the first gene-edited babies, and a hospital linked to his research suggested its ethical approval had been forged. China’s Genetics Society and the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research said in a statement He had acted as an “individual” and his work …

World's first CRISPR gene-edited babies claimed by Chinese researcher as success
6 years, 3 months ago

World's first CRISPR gene-edited babies claimed by Chinese researcher as success

Firstpost  

Society will decide what to do next in terms of allowing or forbidding such science: Researcher. It’s “unconscionable … an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,” said Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal. It’s a big deal.” However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University’s George Church, …

Gene-edited baby claim sparks outrage
6 years, 3 months ago

Gene-edited baby claim sparks outrage

The Hindu  

More than 100 scientists, most of them in China, have condemned as “crazy” and unethical a geneticist's claim that he altered the genes of twin girls born this month to create the first gene-edited babies. China's National Health Commission said on Monday it was ”highly concerned” and had ordered provincial health officials “to immediately investigate and clarify the matter”. The …

Chinese academic claims to have gene-edited twins
6 years, 3 months ago

Chinese academic claims to have gene-edited twins

The Hindu  

Chinese health and medical ethics authorities started an investigation on Monday into claims by a scientist who released videos on YouTube, saying he had altered the genes of twins born earlier this month, creating the first gene edited babies. The editing process, which he calls gene surgery, “worked safely as intended” and the girls are “as healthy as any other …

China orders an inquiry into the 'world's first gene-edited babies'
6 years, 4 months ago

China orders an inquiry into the 'world's first gene-edited babies'

Daily Mail  

More than 100 scientists, most of them in China, have condemned a geneticist's claim that he altered the genes of twin girls born this month as 'crazy' and unethical. A US scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States due to risks that altered DNA will …

China orders probe into first ‘gene-edited babies’
6 years, 4 months ago

China orders probe into first ‘gene-edited babies’

Al Jazeera  

Scientists denounce claims by Chinese geneticist as concerns are raised about its safety and ethics. We still might have a glimmer of hope to close it before it's too late by Scientists say in an open letter The government’s medical ethics committee in Shenzhen said it was investigating the case, as was the Guangdong provincial health commission, according to Southern …

Q&A on scientist’s bombshell claim of gene-edited babies
6 years, 4 months ago

Q&A on scientist’s bombshell claim of gene-edited babies

Associated Press  

Designer babies might be here sooner than anyone reckoned. “This is probably the worst gene you would choose” to test in pregnancy because it doesn’t fix a disease the children were destined to get, said Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health & Science University, who in laboratory-only experiments studies how to repair gene defects in embryos. The researcher said he …

Chinese scientist claims world’s first gene-edited babies; hospital casts doubt
6 years, 4 months ago

Chinese scientist claims world’s first gene-edited babies; hospital casts doubt

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — The Chinese government has ordered an “immediate investigation” into the alleged delivery of the world’s first genetically edited babies, as experts worldwide voiced outrage at such use of the technology. But in a statement posted Tuesday morning, China’s National Health Commission said that it had “immediately requested the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission to seriously investigate and …

Q&A: Why geneticists say it’s wrong to edit the DNA of embryos to protect them against HIV
6 years, 4 months ago

Q&A: Why geneticists say it’s wrong to edit the DNA of embryos to protect them against HIV

LA Times  

An embryo receives a small dose of gene-editing proteins and RNA in a sperm injection microscope in a Shenzhen laboratory. Chinese scientist He Jiankui of Shenzhen Harmonicare Women’s and Children’s Hospital revealed that he had edited the DNA in a pair of human embryos, disabling a gene required for HIV infection to take hold. He Jiankui’s claim that he helped …

Editing our genes
6 years, 6 months ago

Editing our genes

The Hindu  

American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers of the gene editing tool Crispr-Cas9, woke up in a cold sweat after she dreamt of Adolf Hitler. In the book she co-authored, A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, Doudna recounts the dream, and acknowledges the “truly incredible power” of the technology, “one that could …

Why the Gene Editors of Tomorrow Need to Study Ethics Today
6 years, 6 months ago

Why the Gene Editors of Tomorrow Need to Study Ethics Today

Wired  

Two years after biochemist Jennifer Doudna helped introduce the world to the gene-editing tool known as Crispr, a 14-year-old from New Jersey turned it loose on a petri dish full of lung cancer cells, disrupting their ability to multiply. “In high school, I was all on the Crispr bandwagon,” says Jiwoo Lee, who won top awards at the 2016 Intel …

Designer babies: Picking traits for non-medical reasons could be 'morally permissible', says UK ethics group
6 years, 8 months ago

Designer babies: Picking traits for non-medical reasons could be 'morally permissible', says UK ethics group

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Letting parents use new gene-editing technology to pick characteristics of their …

How DIY gene editing could lead to a global catastrophe
6 years, 9 months ago

How DIY gene editing could lead to a global catastrophe

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

WHAT IS CRISPR-CAS9?
7 years, 3 months ago

WHAT IS CRISPR-CAS9?

Daily Mail  

The approach has been used previously to edit the HBB gene responsible for a condition called β-thalassaemia. Get ready for genetically engineered 'super chocolate': Scientists use gene editing tools to make cacao trees resistant to disease Gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 could help breed cacao trees that exhibit desirable traits such as enhanced resistance to diseases, a Penn. Revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR …

If you could edit your child's genes, would you?
7 years, 6 months ago

If you could edit your child's genes, would you?

Salon  

In early August, Nature reported that an international group of scientists used CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing technology to correct a mutation in the DNA in human embryos. Recently on Salon Talks, Dr. Alan Copperman, the director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Mount Sinai Medical Center, laid out both the science and the ethical considerations. It’s Clustered Regularly …

Team pulls its paper on gene editing
7 years, 7 months ago

Team pulls its paper on gene editing

China Daily  

Chinese biologists to conduct more research at another lab A biological research team from China said on Thursday it has withdrawn a controversial paper on a new gene-editing technique and will carry out further research at a third-party laboratory. The team, led by Han Chunyu of Hebei University of Science and Technology, published the paper in May last year in …

Team pulls its paper on gene editing
7 years, 7 months ago

Team pulls its paper on gene editing

China Daily  

Chinese biologists to conduct more research at another lab A biological research team from China said on Thursday it has withdrawn a controversial paper on a new gene-editing technique and will carry out further research at a third-party laboratory. The team, led by Han Chunyu of Hebei University of Science and Technology, published the paper in May last year in …

Science Says: Gene editing widely used in range of research
7 years, 7 months ago

Science Says: Gene editing widely used in range of research

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Gene editing is getting fresh attention thanks to a successful lab experiment with human embryos. _____ WHAT IS GENE EDITING While scientists have long been able to find defective genes, fixing them has been so cumbersome that it’s slowed development of genetic therapies. There are several gene editing methods, but a tool called CRISPR-Cas9 has sparked a boom …

Human embryo editing breakthrough is a ‘major advance’ towards controversial treatments for babies
7 years, 7 months ago

Human embryo editing breakthrough is a ‘major advance’ towards controversial treatments for babies

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Every generation on would carry this repair because we’ve removed the disease-causing gene variant from that family’s …

An unedited mutation
8 years ago

An unedited mutation

The Hindu  

Whenever there’s progress in the field of genetics, there’s cause for worry. It can be used to target specific stretches of genetic code and to edit DNA at precise locations, permanently modify genes in living cells and organisms, and possibly correct disease-causing mutations. According to the New Scientist, the team has corrected genetic mutations in a few cells in three …

Chinese scientist participates in human gene editing committee
8 years, 1 month ago

Chinese scientist participates in human gene editing committee

China Daily  

Chinese scientist participates in human gene editing committee Xinhua | Updated: 2017-02-16 17:18 BEIJING -- A Chinese scientist has participated in making recommendations for human gene editing that cover basic laboratory research, and somatic and germline genome editing, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The report titled "Human Gene Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance," suggests using "existing regulatory processes …

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