An help prevent inherited disorders
Scientists in the United States have repaired a disease-causing mutation in the DNA of early stage
human embryos, they said on Wednesday, taking a step closer to engineering babies
free of inherited disorders.
The team’s successful use of the CRISPR “gene editing” tool in viable embryos was hailed as
a technical feat by outside experts, who called at the same time for deeper debate on the
ethics of altering human DNA.
The lab-created, edited embryos were not allowed to develop beyond a few days, when they
comprised a handful of cells.
Just over 72% of the embryos — 42 out of 58 — ended up being free of a heart diseasecausing
mutation carried in the DNA of the sperm used to create them, a team reported in the
journal Nature .
This was an improvement on the 50% odds for embryos that result naturally from a couple in
which one partner carries the coding error. With further improvement, said a study co-author,
the method “can potentially be used to prevent transmission of genetic disease to future
generations.”
Source: The Hindu
Scientists in the United States have repaired a disease-causing mutation in the DNA of early stage
human embryos, they said on Wednesday, taking a step closer to engineering babies
free of inherited disorders.
The team’s successful use of the CRISPR “gene editing” tool in viable embryos was hailed as
a technical feat by outside experts, who called at the same time for deeper debate on the
ethics of altering human DNA.
The lab-created, edited embryos were not allowed to develop beyond a few days, when they
comprised a handful of cells.
Just over 72% of the embryos — 42 out of 58 — ended up being free of a heart diseasecausing
mutation carried in the DNA of the sperm used to create them, a team reported in the
journal Nature .
This was an improvement on the 50% odds for embryos that result naturally from a couple in
which one partner carries the coding error. With further improvement, said a study co-author,
the method “can potentially be used to prevent transmission of genetic disease to future
generations.”
Source: The Hindu
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