When the Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced in 2018 that he had created the first gene-edited babies, the experiment was widely condemned as reckless and premature. It ended with He in prison.
\n\nBut that hasn’t stopped the push for gene-edited human embryos, with biotech entrepreneur Cathy Tie arguing that doing so isn’t just urgent—it’s a “moral imperative.”
\n\nTie is the 30-year-old founder of Origin Genomics, a company that launched in March with plans to bring gene-edited embryos to IVF clinics. In a new commentary published in the journal Trends in Genetics, she argues for public funding and new regulatory pathways to advance gene-edited babies and eventually move into clinical use.
\n\nBut questions remain about what evidence researchers will need to determine whether gene-edited embryos are safe enough to attempt a human pregnancy—and what risks might remain for the resulting children.
\n\n“There are cautionary tales of first human trials where there was really no flashing red light, and people died,” says Hank Greely, a law professor and director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University.
\n\nSo-called germ-line gene editing involves modifying cells involved in human reproduction, like embryos. Any changes made could be passed on to future…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/