BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

U.K. organizations weigh in on genome editing

September 3, 2015 12:42 AM UTC

Five U.K. organizations including the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust released a joint position statement on Wednesday supporting the use of genome editing technologies for preclinical research applications in both somatic and germline human cells. The statement also called for increased discussion around clinical applications of the technologies for somatic and germline modifications. The statement was also signed by the Academy of Medical Sciences, Association of Medical Research Charities and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

The statement was released in advance of a series of meetings on the ethics of human germline modification. This month, the Hinxton Group, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust will host a meeting about the convergence of genome editing, stem cell research and human germline modification in the U.K. In December, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and National and National Academy of Medicine will hold an international summit to discuss the scientific, ethical and policy issues associated with human genome editing research. ...