Britain gives scientist go-ahead to genetically modify human embryos

Scientists have been given permission by the UK’s fertility regulator to genetically modify human embryos.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved an application from the Francis Crick Institute in London on Monday.

The knowledge could also improve embryo development after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and thus boost the success rate, and might provide better clinical treatments for infertility, using conventional medical methods, the researchers note.

“The reason why it is so important is because miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but they’re not very well understood”.

Dr Niakan has said that, in the long term, the research could mean the embryo with the greatest chance of developing could be implanted or genetics could be “tweaked” to maximise an embryo’s chance of survival.

The research still need ethical approval before the programme begin and, in line with current HFEA regulation, any donated embryos will be used for research purposes only and can not be used in treatment. “The committee has added a condition to the license that no research using gene editing may take place until the research has received research ethics approval”.

Human gene modification is a controversial field of research, with some claiming that altering the DNA of an embryo is the first step towards designer babies.

The embryos will not become children as they must be destroyed within 14 days and can only be used for basic research.

“I am delighted that the HFEA has approved Dr Niakan’s application”.

An article in New Scientist, Jan. 13, 2016, explains Dr Niakin’s desire to recreate the technique used by Chinese researchers.

Niakan wants to use the procedure to find which genes are at play in the first few days of human fertilisation, when an embryo develops a coating of cells that later form the placenta.

The technique could permanently remove harmful mutations which lead to inherited diseases like Huntingdon’s, cystic fibrosis and haemophilia, critics say it could have unexpected side effects any may damage healthy strands of DNA.

Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryo’s growth.