b*****d
发帖数: 61690 | 1 NIH is deeply concerned about the work just presented at the Second
International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong by Dr. He Jiankui,
who described his effort using CRISPR-Cas9 on human embryos to disable the
CCR5 gene. He claims that the two embryos were subsequently implanted, and
infant twins have been born. This work represents a deeply disturbing
willingness by Dr. He and his team to flout international ethical norms. The
project was largely carried out in secret, the medical necessity for
inactivation of CCR5 in these infants is utterly unconvincing, the informed
consent process appears highly questionable, and the possibility of damaging
off-target effects has not been satisfactorily explored. It is profoundly
unfortunate that the first apparent application of this powerful technique
to the human germline has been carried out so irresponsibly. The need for
development of binding international consensus on setting limits for this
kind of research, now being debated in Hong Kong, has never been more
apparent. Without such limits, the world will face the serious risk of a
deluge of similarly ill-considered and unethical projects. Should such epic
scientific misadventures proceed, a technology with enormous promise for
prevention and treatment of disease will be overshadowed by justifiable
public outrage, fear, and disgust.
Lest there be any doubt, and as we have stated previously, NIH does not
support the use of gene-editing technologies in human embryos.
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health |
