There’s a questionable notion floating around out there in the numerous discussions over heritable human genetic modification. This idea goes that if germline human gene editing goes awry for any number of reasons, scientists could simply reverse it by applying genetics again. The reversal notion does not fit with the reality of science as we …
You can’t retract a designer baby: #CRISPR, social justice, & risks Read More »
A few weeks back I started a poll focusing on whether people would have a designer baby if they could. With nearly 200 responses so far, the results are very mixed (see image). One conclusion from this I think is that we need more information on possible risks versus benefits. Another element here is that …
Poll finds near equal split on question: would you have a designer baby? Read More »
What is a woolly dog? Is it somehow related to the Woolly Mammoth? Before we get into that and the rest of my recommended reads, note that I’m finalizing my list of contenders for this year’s The Screamers Science Hype Awards. Last year The BBC won The Screamers for an article “Baby’s life ‘probably saved’ …
Holiday reads: woolly dog vs. mammoth, man eggs, designer B-cells, bluebird bio blues Read More »
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 »
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 »
Reports are out that a scientist in China has been working to make a CRISPR baby for some time and supposedly has made twin genetically modified babies. I see this work as unethical and dangerous. Just a couple years ago when I published my book GMO Sapiens on potential use of CRISPR in a heritable manner …
Why CRISPR baby production (if it happened) was unethical & dangerous Read More »
Today we got the first report of a baby being born via so-called “3-person IVF”, sometimes called 3-parent IVF, in which the DNA of three people contribute to an offspring. Before discussing this further I have to emphasize that we need proof that this is indeed really a 3-person IVF baby via genetic testing. Until that …
First 3-person IVF baby born via “rogue” experiment at Mexico clinic? Read More »
What’s it like to give a TED talk and could there be designer babies in your future as a parent? On Halloween I gave a TEDxVienna talk (click above) on giving consideration to the possibility that we may be headed toward a new reality in the next 15 years in which there are designer babies. …
What if I could make designer babies for you? My TED talk Read More »
It’s an odd confluence of events this week that (A) the Nuffield Council, an ethics think tank, gives a thumbs up in a new report to heritable human genetic modification that would probably include using CRISPR in the same week that (B) a new paper reports that CRISPR can cause unpredictable genomic damage and several other concerning reports …
Mixed Nuffield Council Report Too Aspirational on Human Genetic Modification Read More »
With the approval today of the use of CRISPR in human embryos, the UK continues its recent trend toward a more permissive regulatory policy on human genetic modification. There are both risks and scientific benefits that come along with this trend. Last year the UK approved an experimental technology with the goal of preventing the …
CRISPR embryo OK signals ongoing liberal UK trend on human modification Read More »