What is it about?
Around two-thirds of human assisted reproduction uses a method called ICSI, in which a sperm is injected into an egg so that development initiates. This paper, which usus mice (not humans), demonstrates that ICSI can be combined with CRISPR-Cas9 technology to enable very efficient genome editing.
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This page is a summary of: Asymmetric parental genome engineering by Cas9 during mouse meiotic exit, Scientific Reports, December 2014, Nature,
DOI: 10.1038/srep07621.
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'Designer babies' debate should start, scientists say
Dr Tony Perry, a pioneer in cloning, has announced precise DNA editing at the moment of conception in mice. "We used a pair of molecular scissors and a molecular sat-nav that tells the scissors where to cut. He said science existed as part of a wider community and that it was up to society as a whole to begin assessing the implications and decide what is acceptable.
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
The Council has established a new working group to explore the ethical issues raised by novel genome editing techniques, such as the CRISPR-Cas9 system, that allow precise, targeted changes to be made to DNA molecules in living cells.
From Three-Person IVF to Genome Editing
The Progress Educational Trust's one-day conference 'From Three-Person IVF to Genome Editing: The Science and Ethics of Engineering the Embryo', will explore the advent of new methods of making enduring changes to the human embryo - changes that, if used in treatment, will affect not only the person born but also subsequent generations. You can read about the themes of the conference and PET's reasons for organising it in the Observer article 'Genome editing raises complex issues - banning it is not the answer', by PET Director Sarah Norcross. Confirmed speakers and chairs include Professor Sir Mark Walport, Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, Sally Cheshire, Viscount Matt Ridley, Professor Doug Turnbull, Professor John Harris, Professor Emily Jackson, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, Dr Tony Perry, Dr Roger Highfield, Fiona Fox, Dr Calum MacKellar, Revd Dr Brendan McCarthy and Sarah Norcross.
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Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology
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