Human genome editing on the cards

– The use of gene editing technologies to alter the DNA of human embryos could be morally permissible as long as the science and its impact on society was carefully considered, a British ethics panel said yesterday.

Experts from the UK’s Nuffield Council on Bioethics said while the law should not currently be changed to allow human genome editing to correct genetic faults in offspring, future legislation permitting it should not be ruled out.

The council – an independent body which examines ethical issues raised by new developments in biology and medicine – also urged scientists and ethics experts in the United States, China, Europe and elsewhere to engage as early as possible in public debate about what human genome editing might mean.

The possibilities raised by gene editing tools could represent a “radical new approach to reproductive choices”, the council said, and could have implications for individuals and for society.

“There must be action now to support public debate and to put in place appropriate governance.”

Genome editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 enable the deliberate alteration of a targeted DNA sequence in a living cell. They could, in theory, be used in assisted human reproduction to edit the DNA of an embryo before it is transferred to the womb. –