Genetic breakthrough prompts call for debate on ‘designer babies’

Medical researchers have called for detailed, thoughtful debate on future use of new genetic technology that has the potential to create “designer babies”.

The technology, called CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to edit virtually any gene they target, including in human embryos, enabling them to find and change or replace genetic defects.

Describing CRISPR as “game-changing”, the Wellcome Trust global medical charity and four other leading British research organisations urged the scientific community to proceed considerately, allowing time and space for ethical debate.

“This raises important ethical and regulatory questions which need to be anticipated and explored in a timely and inclusive manner,” they said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Wellcome’s senior policy adviser Katherine Littler added: “It’s essential we start these discussions early ... involving scientists, ethicists, doctors, regulators, patients and their families and the wider public.”

Chinese biologists triggered an international furore this year when they reported carrying out the first experiment to edit the DNA of human embryos, drawing condemnation from critics who warn against altering the human genome in a way that could last for generations.