A team in the U.S. is said to have safely and effectively altered human embryos. The news is a reminder that citizens must be consulted on developments potentially affecting the future of the species.
There’s still a way to go from editing single-cell embryos to a full-term ‘designer baby.’
ZEISS Microscopy
The news may have come as a surprise, but it probably shouldn't have. A bioethics expert walks through how big a deal this announcement is – and what we should be considering now.
Pierre Quévreux, Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires (CRI)
Simple and inexpensive gene-editing technology such as CRISPR has made the creation of genetically modified organisms much easier. But could nature still keep the upper hand?
Editing DNA has the potential to treat disease by repairing or removing defective genes.
Kyle Lawson/flickr
A new research paper reports dangerous side effects in CRISPR-edited mice. Some scientists are pushing back, placing blame for the unwanted mutations on the experiment, not the technique.
Human genome editing raises a lot of questions.
Gene sequence image via www.shutterstock.com.
A new report from the National Academies of Science and Medicine outlines conditions that have to be met before gene editing that results in heritable genomic changes can be considered.
Gene therapy is growing in its capabilities, but there should be limits to its use.
Shutterstock
A report released by the US National Academies of Science and Medicine underscores the potential of gene editing and acknowledges the sensitivities in managing the ethical dimensions.
Taking the deadly bit out of mosquitoes.
Flickr/Erik F Brandsborg
It's possible to alter the make-up of a species such as a mosquito's ability to pass on the deadly malaria parasite. But we need to consider the pros and cons of such gene editing technology.
Human oocyte in vitro fertilization.
Ziess Microscopy/Flickr
Controversy over a Chinese study that used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology shows how the West still looks at the East through the lens of Orientalism.
Will China be the first to genetically enhance future generations?
Jianan Yu/Reuters
Regulations, funding and public opinion around genetically enhancing future generations vary from country to country. Here's why China may be poised to be the pioneer.
A patent has far-reaching implications for future research.
ReubenGBrewer
U.C. Berkeley and the Broad Institute are fighting to control the patents on the revolutionary gene-editing technology. But there's a lot more at stake than just who gets the credit and licensing fees.
We’re talking about a lot of seeds.
Great Divide Photography
The concerns about genetically modified foods are well known. But when we look at population and climate projections, what happens if we don't use them to increase our food supply?
The International Summit on Human Gene Editing drew a distinction between editing an individual's body cells and editing germline cells that would pass changes to future generations. Does that make sense?
As we consider the ethics of human gene editing, we need to understand what can and can't be meaningfully edited.
Gene editing allows us to eliminate any misspellings, introduce beneficial natural variants, or perhaps cut out or insert new genes.
Libertas Academica/Flickr
Should the gathering of experts from around the world that's considering the scientific, ethical, and governance issues linked to research into gene editing ring alarm bells?
Kum Kum Khanna, Queensland Institute of Medical Research; Amanda L Bain, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, and Janelle L Harris, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
The recipients of this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry showed that DNA is far from static. Rather, it is bombarded by damaging forces, but our bodies know how to repair these precious strands.
Gene editing has many potential applications that are not discussed enough.
Pixabay
Despite predictions, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique didn't win the Nobel Prize. But with the technology nevertheless taking off, it is time we start having an informed public debate about it.
