Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Call For World-Wide Moratorium On Gene-Edited Babies Exposes Ethical Divide In Scientific Community
Reuters: Experts Call For Halt To Gene Editing That Results In 'Designer Babies'
Top scientists and ethicists from seven countries on Wednesday called for a global moratorium on gene editing of human eggs, sperm or embryos that would result in genetically-altered babies after a rogue Chinese researcher last year announced the birth of the world's first gene-edited twins. News of their birth prompted global condemnation of the work, raising the ethical specter of so-called designer babies in which embryos could be genetically modified to produce children with desirable traits. (3/13)
NPR: Moratorium On Gene-Edited Babies Urged By Leading Geneticists
"We call for a global moratorium on all clinical uses of human germline editing — that is, changing heritable DNA (in sperm, eggs or embryos) to make genetically modified children," the 18 scientists and bioethicists from seven countries write in an article published Wednesday by the journal Nature. (Stein, 3/13)
The Associated Press: Scientists Back Temporary Global Ban On Gene-Edited Babies
Some scientists had called for a moratorium before the latest proposal, which carries no legal authority. It came from 18 researchers from seven countries who published a commentary in the journal Nature. They included prominent gene-editing experts Feng Zhang and David Liu of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They receive money from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press Health & Science Department. The researchers want a temporary ban on research designed to produce a baby from sperm, eggs or embryos that bear altered DNA. Roughly 30 nations already prohibit making babies from such "germline" gene editing, the authors said. It's essentially banned in the U.S. (3/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Scientists Call For Moratorium To Block Gene-Edited Babies
Dr. Doudna, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said she opposes implanting edited embryos in humans for now, but supports research into it. When asked to sign onto the Nature comment, she said she decided against it because, “I feel it is a bit late to be calling for a moratorium.” She also said there were probably more effective ways to stop rogue scientists. Gene-editing technology and the Crispr tool, in particular, have been racing ahead even as scientists still try to sort out the ethical issues around its use. Discovered in 2012, Crispr allows scientists to cut, edit and insert new DNA. The Broad and a group that includes Dr. Charpentier and UC Berkeley are involved in a legal dispute over the rights to the technology. (Dockser Marcus, 3/13)
The Washington Post: NIH And Top Scientists Call For Moratorium On Gene-Edited Babies
Separately on Wednesday, Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, issued a statement supporting the call for a moratorium and a governing body, and in an interview with The Washington Post, he made clear that this is the U.S. government position, discussed and cleared at the highest levels. “What we’re talking about here is one of the most fundamental moments of decision about the application of science to something of enormous societal consequence. Are we going to cross the line toward redesigning ourselves?” Collins said. (Achenbach, 3/13)
Politico: Scientists From 7 Countries Call For Global Ban On Heritable Gene Edits
Several U.S. companies are focused on using CRISPR technology to edit adult genes to treat rare diseases, cancers and blood conditions like sickle cell disease, but those changes would not be heritable. The therapies are still in development, and none have been approved for market. FDA late last year approved the first in-human CRISPR trial, a joint effort from Editas and Allergan to correct a gene that causes blindness. (Owermohle, 3/13)
Bloomberg: Top Genetics Experts Call For Ban On Modifying DNA Of Embryos
Four months after a Chinese scientist shocked the world with news that he had intentionally altered the DNA of twin girls, top genetics experts and ethicists are calling for a partial ban on the use of a gene-editing technology that can be used to make modified humans. The researchers, including pioneers of the editing technique, are asking nations to prohibit doctors and scientists from changing the DNA in sperm, eggs or embryos intended to produce living children. (Cortez and Brown, 3/13)
