US scientists genetically modify human embryos

Scientists in the US have reportedly modified the genes of human embryos using CRISPR.

The development was reported first by MIT Technology Review. According to its report, researchers led by Oregon Health and Science University’s Shaukhrat Mitalipov altered the DNA of a large number of one-cell embryos. The findings of the study are yet to be published. 

When asked more about the project, Oregon Health and Science University said that the results of the peer-reviewed study are expected to be published in a scientific journal. “No further information will be provided before that.” 

Commenting on the development, Dr Fabien Delerue, manager of the Transgenic Animal Unit at UNSW, said, “It was only a matter of time ... the first experiments recently carried out by Chinese scientists on human embryos using CRISPR, the revolutionary genome editing technique, sparked a worldwide reaction. The leaders of the CRISPR world immediately called on a moratorium in a bid to stop manipulating the genome of human embryos. It was probably already too late.

“Considering that there has not been a single species reportedly resistant to CRISPR genome editing (from bacteria to plants, mice, cattle or even monkeys), it was only a matter of time before human embryos would be tested. Like any other breakthrough, CRISPR technology is routinely used in so many different applications, for so many different purposes, that it is nearly impossible to keep up with the scientific publications. One should consequently not be surprised that the genetic modification of the human embryo be the ultimate goal.”

Although there are ethical concerns over genetic modification of human embryos, Dr Sara Howden, senior research officer and Gene Editing core facility director, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, says it’s important to remember that these studies are governed by strict regulations (the embryos in the US study were not allowed to develop past a few days). 

“CRISPR/Cas9 is still a very new technology and most experts in the field would agree that we must be very cautious about using this technology to create lasting changes that are passed on to subsequent generations, as this could have undesirable and unpredictable consequences. Further studies are needed — even those using human embryos that would otherwise be discarded — to fully evaluate its safety and address its potential risks,” Howden said.  

But should we rejoice or be terrified? Dr Delerue said, “The answer certainly does not lie in the power or the limitations of CRISPR. These are studied and perfected on a daily basis by scientists around the world. This is what we do in our lab in cells or in animals such as mice, like many others labs in Australia.

“What we should consider now, more than ever before, is: what do we use CRISPR for when it comes to human beings? The answer will certainly not be an easy one, but it will draw the lines of future CRISPR applications in humans.

“For now, it is very hard to judge what the latest study in the US will bring, since no one should speculate whilst the publication is pending. But surely it is time to start asking: what do we want to do with CRISPR, and what do we want to do with ourselves?”