The United States’ director of National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr Collins (pictured), has said that the US will not fund controversial research in genetic modification.
Dr Francis Collins, who was also a key player in the Human Genome Project, joined other experts in cautioning against the editing of nuclear DNA in human embryos.
The development of “Crispr technology” makes more precise editing of DNA possible.
Crossing a line
But although advocates claim that modifying the human germline in embryos could rid the world of heritable diseases, opponents warn that the ethical concerns are too great. The risks of modifying a baby’s DNA, and the implications for the next generation, are unknown.
Dr Collins made his comments in response to news that scientists in China had tested the Crispr technique for editing nuclear DNA on human embryos.
He said: “The concept of altering the human germline in embryos for clinical purposes has been debated over many years from many different perspectives, and has been viewed almost universally as a line that should not be crossed.
“…strong arguments against engaging in this activity remain. These include the serious and unquantifiable safety issues, ethical issues presented by altering the germline in a way that affects the next generation without their consent, and a current lack of compelling medical applications.”
Designer babies
The Chinese study, published in the journal Protein and Cell, involved using Crispr to modify defective parts of DNA in human embryos. It was successful in only even out of 86 attempts, and a number of other “off-target” mutations were introduced to the genetic code.
An additional concern with such DNA modifications is that they will pave the way for the creation of “designer babies”.
Whilst germline editing is still illegal in the UK, MPs and peers recently voted to allow techniques that create “three-parent” babies. This made Britain the first country in the world to allow this technology to be used on human embryos.
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Related Coverage:
US 'will not fund research for modifying embryo DNA' (BBC)