Thunderbolt Strikes a Gene Conference with News of Gene-Altered Baby Births
An international conference on genetics held at Hong Kong in the last week of November 2018 was rocked by November 26, 2018, revelation that a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, had used gene-editing to embryo that had led to the birth of first gene-edited baby. On November 28, 2018, on the sidelines of the Hong Kong conference, He defended his action as responsible, saying that for "this specific case, I feel proud, actually". He Jiankui has leveraged a relatively easy-to-use and reasonably priced gene-editing technique, called as the Crisp-Cas9, to disable a gene, CCR5, responsible for creating a protein that helps in spreading the HIV. Bioethicists are trying to prevent such occurrences of embryo-editing, and National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins accused He Jiankui of flaunting international norms. On November 26, 2018, He Jiankui shocked the world by announcing that he was successful in implanting gene-altered embryos in a woman's womb who had given birth to twin girls days ago.
China Bans Gene-Editing Work of He
Chinese government, facing intense criticism over the birth of first gene-edited babies, on November 29, 2018 banned any additional research by now the infamous scientist He Jiankui , who had used Crisp-Cas9 technique for gene-editing.
Panel Says Now is not the Right Time for Gene Editing
After a Chinese scientist helped in the first ever gene-edited babies, scientists all over the world condemned He Jiankui, who had been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for violating the Chinese laws, an experts panel had been formed by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences and UK's Royal Society to provide guidelines on future gene-editing technology. The commission issued recommendation on September 3, 2020, and the recommendation was that it was not the right time yet for a gene-edited baby. The panel didn't take any stand on the ethical side of the process, instead providing a roadmap on the safety and viability of gene-editing. However, gene-editing still can be granted when seriousness of diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy reaches at the alarming stage that can make life and death in hanging, but it should never be used, for the time being, to inject strengthened traits.
An international conference on genetics held at Hong Kong in the last week of November 2018 was rocked by November 26, 2018, revelation that a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, had used gene-editing to embryo that had led to the birth of first gene-edited baby. On November 28, 2018, on the sidelines of the Hong Kong conference, He defended his action as responsible, saying that for "this specific case, I feel proud, actually". He Jiankui has leveraged a relatively easy-to-use and reasonably priced gene-editing technique, called as the Crisp-Cas9, to disable a gene, CCR5, responsible for creating a protein that helps in spreading the HIV. Bioethicists are trying to prevent such occurrences of embryo-editing, and National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins accused He Jiankui of flaunting international norms. On November 26, 2018, He Jiankui shocked the world by announcing that he was successful in implanting gene-altered embryos in a woman's womb who had given birth to twin girls days ago.
China Bans Gene-Editing Work of He
Chinese government, facing intense criticism over the birth of first gene-edited babies, on November 29, 2018 banned any additional research by now the infamous scientist He Jiankui , who had used Crisp-Cas9 technique for gene-editing.
Panel Says Now is not the Right Time for Gene Editing
After a Chinese scientist helped in the first ever gene-edited babies, scientists all over the world condemned He Jiankui, who had been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for violating the Chinese laws, an experts panel had been formed by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences and UK's Royal Society to provide guidelines on future gene-editing technology. The commission issued recommendation on September 3, 2020, and the recommendation was that it was not the right time yet for a gene-edited baby. The panel didn't take any stand on the ethical side of the process, instead providing a roadmap on the safety and viability of gene-editing. However, gene-editing still can be granted when seriousness of diseases such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy reaches at the alarming stage that can make life and death in hanging, but it should never be used, for the time being, to inject strengthened traits.
