Academies’ action plan for germline editing

Ethics and germline gene editing.

T he current kerfuffle around the use of CRISPR/Cas9 and other gene editing technologies in human germline research is the latest in a series of related controversies at the intersection of science, medicine, and ethics [1]. Soon after a prominent ad hoc group of scientists called for a moratorium on clinical applications of germline gene editing [2], a research group from China published an ar...

The Ethics of Germline Gene Editing

Germline Gene Editing (GGE) has enormous potential both as a research tool and a therapeutic intervention. While other types of gene editing are relatively uncontroversial, GGE has been strongly resisted. In this article, we analyse the ethical arguments for and against pursuing GGE by allowing and funding its development. We argue there is a strong case for pursuing GGE for the prevention of d...

ASHG POSITION STATEMENT Human Germline Genome Editing

With CRISPR/Cas9 and other genome-editing technologies, successful somatic and germline genome editing are becoming feasible. To respond, an American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) workgroup developed this position statement, which was approved by the ASHG Board in March 2017. The workgroup included representatives from the UK Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors, Canadian Associatio...

Kelly Ormond on setting rules for germline editing 5 questions

Researchers at the School of Medicine have linked chronic fatigue syndrome to variations in 17 immune-system signaling proteins, or cytokines, whose concentrations in the blood correlate with the disease’s severity. The findings provide evidence that inflammation is a powerful driver of this mysterious condition, whose underpinnings have eluded researchers for 35 years. The findings, described ...

Basis for an Action Plan for Nutrition