How to (Really) Engineer A Human Baby

By Published on November 28, 2015

A global meeting in Washington, D.C., isn’t just about whether or not we should alter our species with CRISPR. It’s about how we can pull it off.

How would you engineer a baby? I mean really, actually do it.

Last April, Chinese researchers reported that they had tried genetically editing human embryos for the first time to correct a disease gene. Out of more than 80 embryos, however, only a handful came out correctly. In the rest, the gene didn’t get fixed properly, or they ended up with unintended alterations to their DNA (see “Chinese Team Reports Gene-Editing Human Embryos”).

The scientific community pounced on the problems with a collective phew. Don’t worry, they said, it’s not even practical. Not yet.

Next week, in Washington, D.C., the world’s experts on a powerful new genetic-engineering technology called CRISPR will convene at the National Academy of Sciences for a historic meeting at which they’ll consider calling for a global moratorium on anyone trying to use the technique to make genetically modified babies.

Read the article “How to (Really) Engineer A Human Baby” on technologyreview.com.

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