Viewpoints on recent UK proposal for gene editing research in preimplantation embryos. #CRISPR

Dr. Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute has submitted a proposal to the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for permission to do basic research gene editing experiments on pre-implantation human embryos, as reported on in Nature and The Guardian.   Here are some recent perspectives on that development.

Is slippery slope argument against human embryo gene editing overblown? -  A
position posted by the Genetic Literacy Project that was adapted from the following article:

Scientists must be part of the ethical debate on human genetics - Phillip Ball, in The Guardian, 9/21/15.

Ball points out that despite the fact that this research proposal could be considered ethically acceptable, and be permitted and legal under current UK guidelines (pending HFEA's approval), this research would be a nonstarter in the USA largely due to laws prohibiting federal funding of such research.  

Taking a somewhat more critical stance comes a statement from the Center for Genetics and Society, a US nonprofit:  Center for Genetics and Society comments on First Application to Pursue Genome Editing Research in Human Embryos. 9/18/15.

First post: A timeline of selected articles, news, opinions, and statements about human germline gene editing during the period from March-September 2015.

You may be familiar with my CRISPR blog, which is focused on technical aspects of CRISPR/Cas9 methods - particularly for germline editing of mouse embryos.   However, the ethical implications of gene editing in human embryos has been a very hot topic lately.  

I've decided to start this blog to help me keep a record of links to various relevant articles, opinions, position statements, and the like.   Much of this was triggered by a paper earlier this year demonstrating CRISPR-mediated gene editing in human embryos.    I hope this blog will be useful, and hopefully, it will stimulate some discussion and thought among its readers.

CRISPR is so efficient and simple that it has brought urgency to the discussion of ethical issues surrounding gene editing in human somatic cells and embryos.  Actually, many of these issues have been explored by ethicists before, primarily during the early days of gene therapy, but the technical ability to precisely target and change existing genes in human embryos just didn't exist then.  CRISPR now allows the possibility to do this.  But should we?  And if so, under what circumstances should it be permissible?

As news items emerge on this topic I'll post links. In the meantime, I've got some catching up to do...Here is a timeline for various important items, starting in March of this year:


March 5, 2015:  “Engineering the perfect baby.” – an article in MIT Technology Review hints that researchers in China have already performed gene editing in human embryos, though it has not yet been published.

March 12, 2015: Edward Lanphier et al.’s letter published in Nature: “Don’t edit the human germ line.”   Lanphier is president and CEO of Sangamo Biosciences, which is developing an HIV resistance therapy based on gene editing in blood cells.

March 19, 2015: David Baltimore et al. publish astatement in Science calling for a moratorium on all human germline gene editing research.

April 17, 2015: “Germline editing: time for discussion.” Editorial in Nature Medicine.

April 18, 2015: Liang et al publish the first report of gene editing in human embryos in Protein Cell.   The embryos used were triploid embryos that were left over as a normal by-product of human IVF.  Triploid embryos cannot develop to term, so no human babies could have been generated from them.  Nevertheless, this paper generates some criticism.   

April 28, 2015: Protein Cell publishes an editorial defending their decision to publish the Liang et al paper while also adopting a cautionary stance.  “Urgency to Rein in the Gene Editing Technology”, Xiauxue Zhang.

April 29, 2015:  I published a blog post describing why Liang et al actually overstated the off-target effects in their human embryo experiments.

April 29, 2015:  NIH Director’s statement on NIH funding for human embryo gene editing research (spoiler alert: it’s not allowed).

May 12, 2015: “CRISPR germline engineering— the community speaks.”  Nature Biotechnology article in which numerous scientists were asked to comment on the issue.

May 18, 2015: U.S. National Academy of Science (NAS) and National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announce an initiative to develop guidelines for editing human genomes.

May 22, 2015: “Eugenics lurk in the shadow of CRISPR” - Robert Pollack, letter to Science.  

May 26, 2015: The USA White House announces support for moratorium.

June 19, 2015: “Germline gene therapy: We’re ready” - Henry I. Miller, letter to Science.

Sept. 5, 2015. “…Banning it is not the answer” – op-ed piece by Sarah Norcross in The Guardian.

Sept. 10, 2015. The Hinxton Group releases a detailed Statement on Genome Editing / Human Germline Modification.    The Hinxton Group is “An International Consortium on Stem Cells, Ethics and Law.” 

Sept. 12, 2015.  The UK MRC, Wellcome Trust and other groups announce a joint statement on genome editing.

Sept. 14, 2015: The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) , Royal Society, U.S. NAS  and U.S. NAM announces plans to co-host an international summit on human gene editing in Washington, D. C. on Dec. 1-3, 2015.

Sept. 17, 2015: Scientists in the UK ask governmental permission to perform limited gene editing experiments on leftover embryos from IVF treatments.  The embryos in this research would not be kept more than 14 days nor would they be used to create pregnancies.

Sept. 18, 2015:  Interview with George Church in New Scientist, in defense of gene editing research and applications.