British scientists set to grow GM embryos in a lab
Watchdog asked to approve gene experiments
GENETICALLY modified human embryos are set to be created in a British laboratory for the first time.
Watchdogs are meeting today to consider approving the manipulation of DNA in fertilised eggs.
Scientists want to disable different genes to see what role they play in the critical first stages of life.
The team at the Francis Crick Institute in London says the research could help childless women become mothers.
After a week the embryos – donated by IVF patients – would be destroyed.
But critics say the study heralds ‘designer babies’, made to order with the desired mental and physical traits.
Kathy Niakan, who is leading the study, said: ‘The reason this is so important is that miscarriages and infertility are unfortunately extremely common but they are not very well understood.
‘One of the main aims is to understand these very early stages of human development. We believe this research could lead to improvements in fertility treatment, provide a really fundamental insight into some of the causes of miscarriage and a much deeper understanding of the earliest stages of human life.’
Dr Niakan has asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for permission to use Crispr, a technique that allows scientists to home in on and tweak specific genes. By blocking them one by one, she hopes to find out which are key.
If, as expected, the authority – and a separate ethics committee – backs the proposal work could start in March. However it might defer a decision to allow more consideration. Dr Niakan initially hopes to use up to 120 embryos to study four genes.
She said each step would be closely monitored, adding: ‘We acknowledge that it is a difficult choice for donors to donate to our research project and they need to be used in the best way possible. It is important we don’t waste these very precious embryos.’
The technique has been tried only once before, in China, where it met with widespread condemnation. Philippa Taylor, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, questioned the ethics of the project.
She said: ‘Using this powerful new technique to manipulate the genetic make-up of human embryos at the earliest stage of life is the first step toward creating GM babies.’
Dr Calum MacKellar, of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, argued that the project opened the door to ‘full-blown eugenics’.
He added: ‘The UK should not isolate itself and go it alone in making possible the gene editing of embryos. Instead, it should consult its international partners before making such an important and ground-breaking decision which will have implications for the whole of humanity.’
Learning more about the first week of life is crucial because barely half of fertilised eggs survive this long. Just one in eight leads to a pregnancy of three months or more.
Dr Niakan wants to use the information she gathers to improve IVF techniques. Once scientists know which genes are important, they could screen a woman’s embryos and implant only the best.
Other options include using drugs or vitamins to give the key genes a boost. Finally, and most controversially, a defective gene could be tweaked and corrected using Crispr.
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, a leading geneticist who also works at the Crick Institute, said the human cost of miscarriage was enormous but often overlooked.
Sarah Norcross, of the Progress Educational Trust, a charity that helps women and families affected by infertility and genetic diseases, said: ‘This is an important piece of basic scientific research.
‘Recurrent miscarriage affects a huge number of people and it isn’t greatly understood. People are just told to go away and try again.
‘To improve our understanding of something like that, which has a huge impact on people, is really valuable.’
The embryo donors will be given details of the project before being asked for consent.
UK law stops GM embryos from being implanted into a woman’s uterus to create ‘designer babies’.