BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Summit committee issues call to define path to clinical germline editing

November 30, 2018 12:25 AM UTC

The organizing committee of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing said the time has come to define "a rigorous, responsible translational pathway" towards the clinical practice of germline editing. The pathway should include standards for preclinical evidence and accuracy of gene modification as well as enforceable standards for professional behavior and competency assessments for clinical trial sponsors, and should adhere to criteria set forth in genome editing guidance documents published in the last three years.

The committee's consensus statement, released at the conclusion of the summit Thursday, directly addressed Jiankui He's claim that he edited and implanted two human embryos, calling it "unexpected and deeply disturbing."...