The World Health Organization established a new committee to set guidelines for scientists editing human DNA, just months after the controversial births of the world’s first gene-edited babies in China. The WHO’s 18-member committee of scientific experts, which includes a Chinese bioethicist, will meet in Geneva next month to “examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated” with editing human genes and it will make recommendations, the organization said in a statement. ...
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.