Scientists from the UK have the right to edit the human embryo genome

A team of scientists from the UK received the right to edit the human embryo genome. The group in question is working at the Francis Crick Institute in London. The purpose of their work is to study the characteristics of the early stages of human life.

Scientists plan to work with fertilized eggs, studying how they develop in the first seven days - from one cell to a blatocyst consisting of 250 cells. By editing the genome, researchers want new information about our DNA and the factors that lead to the appearance of a healthy embryo. This information, scientists hope, can help in obtaining healthy embryos during IVF , as well as improve ways to cure infertility.

The Office of Human Fertility and Embryology Authority ( HFEA ) approved the application of scientists. True, the approval of the "ethics committee" is still required. The application was submitted by Dr. Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute in 2015. A group led by Katie Niacan will use the genetic material donated by patients who have already undergone IVF. It is allowed to edit the embryo genotype, but it is forbidden to put them back into the body of women. The duration of the experiments is a maximum of two weeks; embryos cannot be brought to the state of the fetus.

Editing the genotype of living organisms, especially human embryos, is a rather sensitive topic. Some experts (as well as ordinary people) believe that this is a natural development of medical science, while their opponents fear the future, where children are designed by order of their parents. Moreover, this is a lesser evil, scientists fear that a technology developed by someone to change the embryo’s genotype in order to obtain the specified parameters of the human body can fall into unkind hands.

Be that as it may, the data obtained by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute will be of great benefit to science. Moreover, the progress of the work is such that “cross the line”, in terms of ethics, is not planned.