Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- On Sunday, a Chinese scientist claimed the world’s first genetically edited babies had been born in China.
- The scientist claims to have used gene-editing technology on the babies’ embryos.
- Dr. Doudna said scientists should confine “the use of gene editing in human embryos to cases where a clear unmet medical need exists. ”
On Sunday, a scientist stirred major controversy by claiming that the world’s first gene-edited babies were recently born in China. The scientist, Jiankui He, claims to have used gene-editing technology on the babies’ embryos to disable a gene that allows the body to contract HIV.
He said many families need this technology. But many scientists were outraged, saying gene-editing technology is still in early stages of development, the long-term effects of such practices are still unknown and ethical questions about the practice have yet to be answered. There’s also the fact that such use of gene-editing technology is illegal in the U.S. and many…
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