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 The technology, called CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to edit
virtually any gene they target. The technique is akin to a
biological word-processing program that finds and replaces genetic
defects.
The technique has taken biology by storm, igniting fierce patent
battles between start-up companies and universities that say it
could prove as profitable and revolutionary as recombinant DNA
technology, which was developed in the 1970s and 1980s and launched
the biotechnology industry.
But CRISPR has also brought ethical concerns.
Last month, scientists in China reported carrying out the first
experiment using CRISPR gene-editing to alter the DNA of human
embryos. Although the embryos were not viable and could not have
developed into babies, the announcement ignited an outcry from
scientists warning that such a step, which could alter human genomes
for generations, was just a matter of time.
In response, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and its
Institute of Medicine will convene an international summit this fall
where researchers and other experts will "explore the scientific,
ethical, and policy issues associated with human gene-editing
research," the academies said in a statement.
In addition, NAS - an honorary body that was chartered by Congress
in 1863 and performs studies for the federal government and others -
will appoint a multidisciplinary, international committee to study
the scientific basis and the ethical, legal, and social implications
of human gene editing.
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It is a step reminiscent of one in 1975, when NAS convened the
Asilomar Conference. That led to guidelines and federal regulations
of recombinant DNA, the gene-splicing technology that underlay the
founding of Genentech and other biotech companies and revolutionized
the production of many pharmaceuticals.
The NAS committee will, similarly, recommend guidelines for
gene-editing technologies.
"We provided leadership in the past on emerging, controversial new
areas of genetic research, such as human embryonic stem cell
research (and) human cloning," NAS President Ralph Cicerone and IOM
President Victor Dzau said in a joint statement. "We are prepared to
work with the scientific and medical communities to achieve a
comprehensive understanding of human gene editing and its
implications."
(Reporting by Sharon Begley; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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