With Dr Lara Marks I published an article for the Conversation commenting on the recent application by researchers at Francis Crick institute to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to use CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technologies to the human embryos:
“This is a controversial move, which would make the UK the only country in the world apart from China to carry out such research. […] The recent call by US scientists for a temporary pause “in the application of germ-line modification for clinical application in humans while the implications of such activity are discussed” has added a new intensity to the debate and reveals a potential bioethical divide between the US and the UK. The proposed moratorium has been hailed in some quarters as a positive step toward preserving the public’s trust and safety but because of its narrow focus on the germ-line, it also prevents alternative views from surfacing in the debate and constrains the boundaries of the much called-for public engagement with the issue”.
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Dr Silvia Camporesi 