Science Discussion: Last week a team of scientists in China announced that they used the genome editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the DNA of human embryos, resulting in the birth of twin girls. Let’s discuss the technology and ethics of this development!

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Hi reddit! Last week, researchers announced at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing that they had altered the genomes of twin girls using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing approaches. This marks the first time that we know of that this technology has been used to modify humans.

He Jiankui had previously presented work on genome editing in human, monkey, and mouse embryos at a scientific meeting in 2017, but he had made no indication at the time that he intended to use the altered embryos to initiate a pregnancy.

Based on the announcement last week, He Jiankui’s university, Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, issued a statement indicating that it had been unaware of the research and that this work had “seriously violated academic ethics and codes of conduct.” In addition, Rice University has launched an ethics investigation into a collaborator of He Jiankui, Michael Deem, who is a professor there.

The research has not yet been published in a peer reviewed paper, so some details of the research remain unknown to the public, but it’s important to note that gene editing is also being pursued in the US to help correct severe genetic diseases- a company Editas recently received FDA approval for an application to start enrolling patients into a clinical trial for a CRISPR-based treatment for LCA10, a rare form of blindness.

To help answer your questions about this news we have guests from George Church’s lab at Harvard who are experts in gene editing technology, and a prominent ethicist from Vanderbilt University.

Ellen Clayton, MD, JD (u/Ellen_Clayton): I am a general pediatrician and law professor who focuses on ethical, legal, and social issues raised by genetics. I was a member of the NASEM committee on gene editing.

Eriona Hysolli, PhD (u/Eriona Hysolli): I am a postdoc in the Church lab exploring multiplex gene editing for mammoth de-extinction.

Cory Smith, PhD (u/Cory_Smith_PhD): I'm a postdoctoral research fellow working in the Church lab on synthetic biology technology development for Genome Project write. One of my research aims is to improve the delivery, efficiency, and safety of current DNA editors including CRISPR/Cas9, TALENs, AAV, and Base Editors to overcome the current limitations preventing multiplex engineering at genome-wide scale in mammalian cells.

">Science Discussion: Last week a team of scientists in China announced that they used the genome editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the DNA of human embryos, resulting in the birth of twin girls. Let’s discuss the technology and ethics of this development!