Scientists from many countries emphasize:
genome editing technology is not yet safe for humans
Science and Technology Daily News (Reporter Liu Xia) According to the US "Science" magazine website a few days ago, an international committee composed of multinational scientific research institutions issued a report on the 3rd that heritable human genome editing (HHGE) is currently not safe and effective. Before deciding whether to approve such technologies for clinical application, countries should conduct extensive discussions and conduct strict supervision.
This international committee is called the "International Committee for the Clinical Application of Human Germline Genome Editing" and is composed of 18 representatives from 10 national scientific research institutions, including the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society.
The report stated that once the genome of a human embryo has been edited, it should not be used for reproduction unless there is definite evidence showing that precise changes to the genome can bring reliable results and will not cause unexpected changes.
At present, including CRISPR technology, no genome editing technology can meet this standard.
Genome editing refers to the insertion, deletion or replacement of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) fragments in specific genes.
In theory, genome editing can change specific genetic characteristics, so that it can not only modify embryonic genes and eliminate genetic diseases, but also enhance physiological characteristics. However, this kind of "designing babies" involves ethical and various technical issues-the main reason for editing human embryos The danger is that there will be unexpected "off-target effects", and these DNA changes cannot be detected before the embryo is implanted into the mother.
The report classified the potential uses of HHGE and created a 6-level structure based on the risk profile.
The report said that if a country decides to approve the application of HHGE technology, it should initially limit such technology to the scope of preventing serious single-gene genetic diseases, and such technology should only be considered when there are no other options.
In addition, this report also provides basic guidance and suggestions for the supervision of HHGE technology at the national and international levels.
Committee co-chair Kay Davis said: "More research is still needed to verify the effect of genome editing technology on human embryos, to ensure that it can be accurately modified without off-target effects."
In addition, the report also called for the establishment of an international "scientific advisory group" to evaluate the proposed use of HHGE, provide regular updates on related technologies, and evaluate what will happen if the edited embryo is implanted into the mother. It also recommends the establishment of an international mechanism so that clinicians or researchers can report on their plans or use of HHGE.