Search Results for: crispr baby

Recommend reads: CRISPR baby guy free, DNMT3, sperm, Editas, hearing loss, reprogramming

April 17, 2022 / By / 3 Comments
Dura et al sperm development

We often don’t think of them that way but reproductive cells like sperm and egg are also relatives of stem cells, and it turns out that there are stem cells that make the reproductive cells too like sperm stem cells. Sperm and germ cell stem cells DNMT3A-dependent DNA methylation is required for spermatogonial stem cells …

Recommend reads: CRISPR baby guy free, DNMT3, sperm, Editas, hearing loss, reprogramming Read More »

Weekly reads: escape to New York, CRISPR baby patents, ISSCR guidelines, pubs

May 30, 2021 / By / 1 Comment
the high line in manhattan

My to-read list this weekend includes a range of papers along with various news & media including a report of two US research groups aiming to get CRISPR baby patents. More on that below. At long last a trip + fun thing to do in NYC Last week I took my first trip in more …

Weekly reads: escape to New York, CRISPR baby patents, ISSCR guidelines, pubs Read More »

Heads up on Hui Yang, another potential aspiring CRISPR baby researcher

February 1, 2021 / By / 1 Comment
-Yui-Hang

Making a CRISPR baby is a controversial idea to even propose now for many reasons, yet even after He Jiankui’s train wreck some people have seemed eager to try it including apparently a scientist whose name perhaps many readers here are not so familiar with in this context: Professor Hui Yang. ‘CRISPR baby guys’ Is …

Heads up on Hui Yang, another potential aspiring CRISPR baby researcher Read More »

Perspectives on CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎) going to jail

February 1, 2021 / By / 2 Comments
Jiankui-He-who-claims-CRISPR-baby-production

Scientist He Jiankui(贺建奎) has been sentenced to 3 years in prison by Chinese authorities. Two collaborators also will go to jail. A piece in Science by Dennis Normile on the sentencing of He Jiankui ID’d the other two: “His collaborators were identified as Zhang Renli, of a medical institution in Guangdong province, and Qin Jinzhou, from a Shenzhen …

Perspectives on CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎) going to jail Read More »

CRISPR baby moratorium grows likely with rising tide of support including from biotech

February 1, 2021 / By / Leave a Comment
CRISPR-gene-edit-vs-mutation-1

Trying to make a CRISPR baby any time soon would be a really bad idea. How bad? Last December 3rd I penned a piece for STAT News arguing for a moratorium on the heritable use of CRISPR in humans. This potential future, radical application of “gene editing” is now often colloquially referred to as “CRISPR …

CRISPR baby moratorium grows likely with rising tide of support including from biotech Read More »

Counterpoints to Lovell-Badge & Daley’s CRISPR baby rationales

February 1, 2021 / By / 5 Comments
CRISPR-baby

Two prominent scientists, Robin Lovell-Badge and George Daley, have been amongst the most outspoken proponents of leaving the door open to heritable human genetic modification via CRISPR. While they each have articulated their reasons in somewhat different ways at times, their core reasons arguing in favor of future heritable CRISPR appear largely the same. In …

Counterpoints to Lovell-Badge & Daley’s CRISPR baby rationales Read More »

When the state & ‘rogue’ scientists collide: case of China & CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎)

February 1, 2021 / By / 4 Comments
He-Jiankui-贺建奎

What happens next to He Jiankui (贺建奎) or as some people now refer to him, the “CRISPR baby guy”? China has a challenging situation to resolve here, but such conflicts between scientists and governments have happened regularly in history. When scientists go “rogue” (i.e. don’t conform to norms or ethical standards in an extreme way or …

When the state & ‘rogue’ scientists collide: case of China & CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎) Read More »

Who is He Jiankui’s mentor Michael Deem & is he trying to edit himself out of CRISPR baby project?

February 1, 2021 / By / Leave a Comment
Michael-Deem

Who is Michael Deem and what was his role in his former student He Jiankui’s purported production of twin CRISPR’d babies? Is Deem now trying to edit himself out of the project? He Jiankui relied on help from many people and Deem was reportedly a part of that team. Members of He’s own research team helped …

Who is He Jiankui’s mentor Michael Deem & is he trying to edit himself out of CRISPR baby project? Read More »

History tells us to be more skeptical of He Jiankui’s CRISPR baby story

February 1, 2021 / By / 2 Comments
Fake-cloning

Could He Jiankui have faked part or all of his CRISPR babies story? If so, how? Why? Or to put it another way, almost everyone seems to be assuming the story is real, but should we be more skeptical? Should we flip things around and assume the story isn’t entirely kosher until proven otherwise? I once …

History tells us to be more skeptical of He Jiankui’s CRISPR baby story Read More »

Trying to connect the dots on CRISPR baby story paints a dark, cloudy picture

February 1, 2021 / By / Leave a Comment
connect-the-dots

When I was a little kid I played this game called “connect the dots” or “dot-to-dot”, where you draw a line from dot-to-dot in numerical order and at some point a picture starts to emerge. I think kids and even some adults still play this today. They even come in extreme versions with hundreds or …

Trying to connect the dots on CRISPR baby story paints a dark, cloudy picture Read More »