Britain approves controversial gene-editing technique after Chinese scientists condemned for modifying human embryos
Aim is to find out more about early human development, but critics say the work is dangerous step towards ‘designer babies’
Britain’s fertility regulator has approved a scientist’s application to edit the human genetic code using a new technique that some fear crosses too many ethical boundaries.
Less than a year after Chinese scientists caused an international furore by saying they had genetically modified human embryos, Kathy Niakan, a stem cell scientist from London’s Francis Crick Institute, was granted a licence to carry out similar experiments.
Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyse the first week of an embryo’s growth.
Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, said Niakan’s research would “enhance our understanding of (in vitro fertilisation) success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development.”
Last year, Chinese researchers made the first attempt at modifying genes in human embryos. Their laboratory experiment didn’t work but raised the prospect of altering genes to repair the genes of future generations.