UK Scientists Bid to Genetically Modify Human Embryos

British Scientists have applied for permission to genetically modify human Embryos so as to better understand the earliest stages of human development.

This came months after China announced that it had successfully modified human embryos using a gene-editing technique called Crispr/Cas9 although scientists are still debating the future use of the technique.

Kathy Niakan, a scientist at London’s Francis Crick Institute who asked the British government’s fertility regulator for a licence to carry out the experiments said “It may improve embryo development after in vitro fertilisation and might provide better clinical treatments for infertility.

“We are not contemplating altering genes for clinical purposes – we are interested in basic mechanisms of embryonic development. If any of our discoveries suggest ways to improve embryo development after IVF, or to improve implantation frequency, or to prevent miscarriage, these would involve conventional approaches, not the manipulation of genes.”

UK’s IVF law allows for the genetic manipulation of embryos less than 14 days old, provided it was for research and approved by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.