Chinese scientists just admitted to tweaking the genes of human embryos for the first time in history

Kevin Loria  
A recent biotech discovery — one that has been called the biggest biotech discovery of the century — showed how scientists might be able to modify a human genome when that genome was still just in an embryo.
This could change not only the genetic material of a person, but could also change the DNA they pass on, removing "bad" genetic codes (and potentially adding "good" ones) and taking an active hand in evolution.
Concerned scientists published an argument that no one should edit the human genome in this way until we better understood the consequences after a report uncovered rumors that Chinese scientists were already working on using this technology.
But this new paper, published April 18 in the journal Protein and Cell by a Chinese group led by gene-function researcher Junjiu Huang of Sun Yat-sen University, shows that work has already been done, and Nature News spoke to a Chinese source that said at least four different groups are "pursuing gene editing in human embryos."
Specifically, the team tried to modify a gene in a non-viable embryo that would have been responsible for a deadly blood disorder. But they noted in the study that they encountered serious challenges, suggesting there are still significant hurdles before clinical use becomes a reality.
CRISPR, the technology that makes all this possible, can find bad sections of DNA and cut them and even replace them with DNA that doesn't code for deadly diseases, but it can also make unwanted substitutions. Its level of accuracy is still very low.
Huang's group successfully introduced the DNA they wanted in only "a fraction" of the 28 embryos that had been "successfully spliced" (they tried 86 embryos at the start and tested 54 of the 71 that survived the procedure). They also found a "surprising number of ‘off-target’ mutations," according to Nature News.
Huang told Nature News that they stopped then because they knew that if they were do this work medically, that success rate would need to be closer to 100%.
Our understanding of CRISPR needs to significantly develop before we get there, but this is a new technology that's changing rapidly.
Even though the Chinese team worked with non-viable embryos, embryos that cannot result in a live birth, some say that editing the human genome and changing the DNA of an embryo is ethically questionable, because it could lead to more uses of this technology in humans. Changing the DNA of viable embryos could have unpredictable results for future generations, and some researchers want us to understand this better before putting it into practice.
Still, many researchers think this technology (most don't think it's ready to be used yet) could be invaluable. It could eliminate genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia, Huntington's disease, and cystic fibrosis, all devastating illnesses caused by genes that could theoretically be removed.
Source: Business Insider

 

Chinese scientists just admitted to tweaking the genes of human embryos for the first time in history

Kevin Loria A recent biotech discovery one that has been called the biggest biotech discovery of the century showed how scientists might be able to modify a human genome when that genome was still just in an embryo. This could change not only the genetic material of a person, but could also change the DNA they pass on, removing bad genetic codes (and potentially adding good ones) and taking an active hand in evolution. Concerned scientists published an argument that no one should edit the human genome in this way until we better understood the consequences after a report uncovered rumors that Chinese scientists were already working on using this technology. But this new paper, published April 18 in the journal Protein and Cell by a Chinese group led by gene-function researcher Junjiu Huang of Sun Yat-sen University, shows that work has already been done, and Nature News spoke to a Chinese source that said at least four different groups are pursuing gene editing in human embryos. Specifically, the team tried to modify a gene in a non-viable embryo that would have been responsible for a deadly blood disorder. But they noted in the study that they encountered serious challenges, suggesting there are still significant hurdles before clinical use becomes a reality. CRISPR, the technology that makes all this possible, can find bad sections of DNA and cut them and even replace them with DNA that doesnt code for deadly diseases, but it can also make unwanted substitutions. Its level of accuracy is still very low. Huangs group successfully introduced the DNA they wanted in only a fraction of the 28 embryos that had been successfully spliced (they tried 86 embryos at the start and tested 54 of the 71 that survived the procedure). They also found a surprising number of off-target mutations, according to Nature News. Huang told Nature News that they stopped then because they knew that if they were do this work medically, that success rate would need to be closer to 100%. Our understanding of CRISPR needs to significantly develop before we get there, but this is a new technology thats changing rapidly. Even though the Chinese team worked with non-viable embryos, embryos that cannot result in a live birth, some say that editing the human genome and changing the DNA of an embryo is ethically questionable, because it could lead to more uses of this technology in humans. Changing the DNA of viable embryos could have unpredictable results for future generations, and some researchers want us to understand this better before putting it into practice. Still, many researchers think this technology (most dont think its ready to be used yet) could be invaluable. It could eliminate genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia, Huntingtons disease, and cystic fibrosis, all devastating illnesses caused by genes that could theoretically be removed. Source: Business Insider