I just got back from a historic summit on human genetic modification in Washington, D.C. New genetic modification technology, termed CRISPR-Cas9, has both made genetic modification a relatively simple matter for scientists and human genetic modification much more likely in the near future. Heritable human genetic modification could prevent some rare genetic diseases so there […]
The Summit on Human Gene Editing got off to a great start yesterday. I have four posts summarizing all the talks and my impressions on the points made (here, here, here, and here). What was the overall gestalt including from talking to people informally? What were the big takeaway messages so far from Day 1? Diverse views.
Human Gene Editing takeaways from day 1 of #GeneEditSummit Read More »
This is post #4 of my live blogging of the #GeneEditSummit today. It is focused on societal implications so I’m really looking forward to it. You can read posts 1-3, here, here, and here summarizing the talks and key points from the meeting so far. Annelien L. Bredenoord, University Medical Center Utrecht, chaired the session. John Harris,
Live Blogging #GeneEditSummit Day 1 Post #4: Societal Implications of human gene editing Read More »
The post-lunch session is “Applications of Gene Editing Technology: Human Germline Modification”. Prior to hearing it I’m curious how cautious or gung-ho the speakers will be, or if their gestalt will be one of balance in the middle somewhere. Robin Lovell-Badge, The Francis Crick Institute, was the moderator of this session. He said, “We’d be
Live Blogging #GeneEditSummit Day 1 Post #3: human germline modification Read More »
This is blog post #1 from Day 1 of the National Academy of Sciences meeting on Human Gene editing. Some of the post may be written on the fly given the quick timeline of the meeting. Updates will sometimes be added to existing posts. See the subsequent three posts on the rest of the day here,
Live Blog #GeneEditSummit Day 1 Post 1: Context & Science Read More »
What’s been up the past week in terms of news in the stem cell world? The Wall Street Journal reports that the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) has signed a 20-year lease on a much larger space, in fact twice the current size, in Manhattan. That would seem to be a great sign of
Stem Cell News Briefs: NYSCF, Sleep & Transplants, NFL legends, & More Read More »
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) summit on Human Gene Editing will begin in a few days on December 1 in Washington, D.C. This summit is in part the extension of discussions that started at a more informal meeting on CRISPR earlier this year in Napa organized by Jennifer Doudna and colleagues. The NAS meeting
Live Blogging NAS Human Gene Editing Summit: #GeneEditSummit Read More »
After a seemingly endless period of review, the FDA has approved the genetically modified (GM) AquaBounty salmon for sale and consumption. Update: You might find my interview with George Church on CRISPR and gene modification interesting. I don’t see any particular reason to think that this GM fish as a food would pose any significant
FDA approves 1st GM animal (fast-growing salmon) to eat Read More »
Please take our new poll. Would you have a genetically modified baby? There are a lot of issues and even feelings to factor into this question Please tell us in the comments why you voted the way you did.
Poll: Would you have a genetically modified baby? Read More »
I’ve written a new book on human genetic modification. This is my second book as the first one was Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide, which is currently the top stem cell book on Amazon. The new book is called GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies. You can pre-order it here at Amazon or over here at my publisher’s
GMO Sapiens book teaser: time to talk frankly on human genetic modification Read More »