US Health Chief: Embryo gene editing 'great shock'
234 views · Published 8 December 2018 · 4:04 · Indexed 6 November 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(3 Dec 2018) Early last year, a little-known Chinese researcher turned up at an elite meeting in Berkeley, California, where scientists and ethicists were discussing a technology that had shaken the field to its core — an emerging tool for "editing" genes, the strings of DNA that form the blueprint of life. The young scientist, He Jiankui, saw the power of this tool, called CRISPR, to transform not only genes, but also his own career. He now says he helped make the world's first gene edited babies, despite clear scientific consensus that making genetic changes that could be passed to future generations should not be attempted at this point. US National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins called He's actions "outrages". Collins has done ground-breaking work on gene research as well, and said how He is doing his research "crosses the boundaries of ethical limits that virtually everybody has agreed to". Some have defended He's work, saying there's no certain way to stop someone intent on monkeying with DNA, no matter what laws or standards are in place. Collins acknowledged there is a long history in science and medicine of researchers launching experiments prematurely that were met with scorn or horror — some of which led to what are now common practices, such as in-vitro fertilization. He said that while science tends to reward the bold, he believes He will not be remembered as a pioneer. Collins also said what He did would most certainly be illegal in the United States. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e0b8d80c2f9f87706fca57c49f64a4e4
