Thursday, April 23, 2015

Scientists edited the genomes of human embryos for the first time

This sounds a little terrifying to me: Scientists have edited the genomes of human embryos for the first time.

From the Washington Post...

The work, led by Junjiu Huang of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, focused on modifying the gene responsible for β-thalassaemia, a blood disorder that can be fatal. They used CRISPR, a cutting-edge gene editing tool that's already made serious waves in the genome editing of other species. By going after genes at the earliest stage of human development -- in a single-celled embryo -- theoretically one can make sure all the subsequent copies of the gene are the superior version.

It doesn't take a science fiction fan to extrapolate the future possibilities, does it?