The US will allow genetic engineering of human embryos

The US National Academy of Sciences supports Embryonic Engineering

Stepan Mazur, JSON TV

The next generation of people may well be genetically modified. The National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday released a 216-page report approving the modification of the human germ line in the future, but only in certain cases that could result from the birth of children with serious genetic diseases. 

(See NAS Press Release With Strict Oversight, Heritable Germline Editing Clinical Trials Could One Day Be Allowed for Serious Conditions; Non-Heritable Clinical Trials Should Be Limited to Treating or Preventing Disease or Disability at This Time.
The full text of the Human Genome Editing report: Science, Ethics, and Governance (2017) can be downloaded here – VM.)

Embryonic engineering takes the modification of a person or the genetic code of an embryo seriously, since the changes are transmitted to their offspring. This differs from the more commonly accepted "somatic cell" method, better known as gene therapy, where changes only affect the person being treated.

"The topic of hereditary germ genome editing trials should be approached with caution, but caution does not mean that they should be banned," the report says.

A group of 22 prominent scientists and researchers spent a year compiling scientific data. And while the general opinion tipped the scales towards the legalization of embryonic engineering, they also warned that it should be done under "strict control" and only as a measure to "prevent a serious disease or condition", and not as a means of improving the level of human development. There are no superpowers, improved appearance or increased intelligence to wait for.

The group also stated that in addition to preventing genetic diseases, gene editing can make people less susceptible to diseases such as HIV, cancer or Alzheimer's disease.

 "We do not consider disease prevention at the gene level as a form of human level enhancement," said Alta Charo, co–chair of the group from the University of Wisconsin, on this topic. "But is it acceptable for regulators?"

This recommendation is strikingly different from the existing legal norms in Europe and the USA. In America, embryonic engineering has been outlawed since 2015, when Congress banned the FDA from considering any proposals using such modifications. China, on the other hand, has no such hesitation with technology and has already started experimenting with it.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  15.02.2017