Monday, October 21, 2019

Russian ‘CRISPR-baby’


Nature News has the scoop on the latest case of gene edited human eggs, this time an alteration to prevent deafness:
...he [Rebrikov] will soon publish the results of his egg experiments, which also involved testing CRISPR’s ability to repair the gene linked to deafness, called GJB2, in bodily cells taken from people with this mutation. People with two mutated copies of GJB2 cannot hear well without interventions, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Rebrikov says these results will lay the groundwork for the clinical work.

Rebrikov adds that he has permission from a local review board to do his research, but that this does not allow transfer of gene-edited eggs into the womb and subsequent pregnancy.

....Rebrikov told Bloomberg last month that he wants to follow regulations that have been internationally agreed on when moving gene editing to the clinic. But he also expressed frustration that none exist yet.

Cheers,
Colin