Researchers led by the Francis Crick institute recently applied to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a licence to genetically modify human embryos. The research would use the genome editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 to shed light on the genetic causes of defect of miscarriages in pregnancy.
This is a controversial move, which would make the UK the only country in the world apart from China to carry out such research. It is absolutely crucial that we have an informed debate about it, consulting the public in a meaningful way, before scientists and policymakers set its parameters. To this end, a team of researchers working with the website WhatIsBiotechnology.org are running a pilot survey to gather people’s views on the new technology. This will include its use in human embryo modification but also look beyond that to other applications.
Image: Primitive Trilaminar Human Embryo in Tubal Pregnancy
Credit: Ed Uthman
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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