British Researchers To Modify Human Embryos

In what could be a revolutionary decision, the British researchers have been given the green signal to modify human embryos. This would allow the researchers to alter the DNA of embryos. In what is being deemed as a massive moment for biotech industry, this could eventually lead to “designer babies.”

The permission has been granted by the Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority (HEFA), after a group of scientists at London’s Francis Crick Institute asked for permission to perform gene editing work on human embryos. The research will be done under Dr. Kathy Niakan. The granting of permission came in about a year later after the first genetically modification of human embryos was done by a group of scientists in China.

Human germline editing is considered highly controversial because any baby born through the technique has the potential to pass those genetically modified traits down to the next generation. People who speak for human germline editing on the other hand argue that it could help not only to eradicate a host of genetic diseases, but it also has the potential of introducing the possibility of human enhancement.

The director of National Institute of Health (NIH) said, "The concept of altering the human germline in embryos for clinical purposes has been debated over many years from many different perspectives, and has been viewed almost universally as a line that should not be crossed”.

The HEFA has made strict guidelines that all embryos must be used for research purposes only, and they cannot be used in fertility treatments. These embryos will be acquired through donations made by patients currently undergoing IVF therapy. The main focus of the scientists will be on the first seven days of the growth of the fertilized eggs. During the initial stages of an egg, it grows from one single cell to 250 cells.

Ronald Green, who has served as NIH’s human embryo research panel, told CNN "By the end of this century, I am absolutely confident that we will have the tools for someone with the means to use this information to change the child they can have through this process."

Britain is undoubtedly paving the way for modern and unconventional medical phenomena. In 2014, it became the first country to legalize a three parent reproductive technique, which came as a boon to thousands of people across the globe, who now want to avail this medical procedure.