We need to police gene editing. The World Health Organization agrees.

Pedro_P

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The Committee plans to examine the scientific, ethical, social, and legal.

The WHO assembled a team of experts to look at setting international guidelines for the use of new gene editing technology.
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▼ Who’s going to police CRISPR? That was the cry of many scientists after news broke at the end of last year that Chinese researchers had edited the genomes of embryos which resulted in the birth of the first genetically altered babies. Who indeed? WHO, that’s who.
Days after the news, the organization announcedthat it would assemble experts to look at setting international guidelines for the use of this unprecedented new gene editing technology. Last week, the UN organization announced the appointment of that committee, which consists of eighteen experts from around the globe and two chairs. There’s no guarantee the guidelines they’ll assemble on human genome editing will be followed, but it’s a first attempt at ushering the world into a future in which we can edit the very things that make us human.
CRISPR gene editing has a variety of applications that have different consequences. Twin girls Nana and Lulu were each gene edited as embryos, targeting a specific gene involved in HIV resistance and, research has just revealed, parts of the brain. Because their embryonic DNA was edited, they can pass those changes on to their children, and potentially every generation that follows, posing a never-before-encountered ethical quandary for bioethicists and scientists alike. But researchers are also using CRISPR to treat consenting adults with conditions like Hunter’s Diseaseand the newest case of CRISPR use, a rare blood disease called beta thalassemia. This second use is lower-stakes for the human species as a whole, because those adults can’t pass on their modifications, but it does have extremely high stakes for the people being treated.
What can WHO guidelines do? (▪ ▪ ▪)

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mazherali

Extremely promising field with a huge potential for misuse.

Rhett_Bassard

Q: What comes before gene editing?
A: Gene combination, e.g. breeding.

Shouldn't we first be concerned with at-risk genetics reproducing, often burdening society? With all the knowledge and technology available, shouldn't there be a screening process to improve the overall gene pool rather than blindly rolling the dice on our crowded planet?