An 18-member committee of scientific experts, set up by the World Health Organization (WHO), is set to meet in March to create recommendations for the transparent and responsible use of gene-editing technology. The WHO has already approved a clinical trial involving CRISPR gene editing, but it will be months before any human trials can begin. It is hoped the WHO committee's guidelines will lead to an international framework for scientists working in gene-editing, particularly in China, where there is less regulatory and ethical oversight, compared with countries such as the US.
An 18-member committee of scientific experts, set up by the World Health Organization (WHO), is set to meet in March to create recommendations for the transparent and responsible use of gene-editing technology. It follows the revelation by China's He Jiankui that he used the technology to produce HIV-resistant twin girls. It is hoped the WHO committee's guidelines will lead to an international framework for scientists working in gene-editing, particularly in China, where there is less regulatory and ethical oversight, compared with countries such as the US.