Scientists in Britain have requested licenses to edit genes in human embryos, in order to conduct a series of experiments to learn more about the earliest stages of human development.
Kathy Niakan, a stem cell scientist from the Francis Crick Institute in London, has requested permission to carry out experiments similar to those announced by Chinese scientists earlier this year. She declared in her application, made to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, that she had no intention of altering embryos genetically for the purpose of use in human reproduction.
Rather, donated embryos would be used for research purposes only with the ultimate goal of obtaining scientific understanding of the development of a healthy human embryo. This knowledge may improve embryo development post in-vitro fertilisation and may provide better clinical treatments for infertility.
This Also Makes ‘Designer Babies’ Possible
The technology, called CRISPR-Cas9, is currently under fire for the frailty of its ethics. It would essentially allow researchers to edit any gene, including those found in human embryos. At the moment, scientists are still debating about how the technology should be used and under what circumstances; while CRISPR-Cas9 enables scientists to find, change or replace genetic defects, it can also foster the creation of ‘designer’ babies. Consequently, British law currently bans the genome editing of embryos, though experiments may be conducted with an HFEA license.
Ethical Debate
Sarah Chan, from the Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics at Edinburgh University, states that genome editing research undeniably has great scientific potential, and that UK scientists have the opportunity to make great contributions to the field. The scientific community, she goes on to state, should be reassured that these experiments will be carried out under very rigorous regulations that would ensure high scientific and ethical standards.
Niakan’s application has yet to be reviewed, but it is expected that she will obtain the license to carry out her research so long as embryos are destroyed within 14 days. She sustains that her research will be carried out for the sake of science and advancement alone.
