White House backs moratorium on gene-editing over ethical concerns

The White House said Tuesday that an experimental process that alters the DNA of human embryos and passes along those changes to successive generations poses ethical issues that requires further review and should not be pursued at this stage.

"The administration believes that altering the human germline for clinical purposes is a line that should not be crossed at this time," John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement on gene-editing.

It comes amid concern that the technology could be used to create so-called “designer babies,” offspring with characteristics deemed desirable by their parents.

Last week, The National Academy of Sciences said it would convene an international summit this fall to explore the ethical and policy issues associated with the research and appoint an international committee to recommend guidelines for the technology, which is called CRISPR-Cas9 and allows scientists to edit virtually any gene they target.

The technique allows researchers to artificially insert or remove parts of the DNA.

Nascent work in the field has already led to fierce patent battles between start-up companies and universities that say it could prove as profitable and revolutionary as recombinant DNA technology, which was developed in the 1970s and 1980s and launched the biotechnology industry.

But CRISPR has also brought ethical concerns. Use of the technology provoked strong criticism from some scientists last month, after it was employed in China to alter the DNA of human embryos.

Although the embryos were not viable and could not have developed into babies, the announcement led to warnings that such a step, which could alter human genomes for generations, was just a matter of time.

"Research along these lines raises serious and urgent questions about the potential implications for clinical applications that could lead to genetically altered humans," Holdren said in the statement on the White House website. “The full implications of such a step could not be known until a number of generations had inherited the genetic changes made — and choices made in one country could affect all of us."

Al Jazeera and Reuters