The British authorities on Monday allowed scientists to conduct genetic modifications on human embryos to Francis Crick Institute in London. Issued by the HFEA (Human fertility and embryology authority), this authorization is the first of its kind in the world.
The embryos handled by Dr. Kathy Niakan team will be systematically destroyed after seven days. It is not implant the issue in women. “I am very pleased that the HFEA has approved the request of Dr. Niakan,” said the director of the Francis Crick Institute, Paul Nurse, in a statement. “(The research) are important for understanding why an embryo develops in a healthy woman and allow us to better understand the in vitro fertilization of success rate, looking at the first stages of human development.”
About 100 fertilized eggs, half manage to develop into a blastocyst (condition in which the egg is divided several times and has a few tens of cells), 25 manage to implant in the uterus and only 13 survive more than three months. To better understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, researchers will start by trying to block a gene OCT4, which appears to regulate how embryonic cells are divided to form one side of the fetus and the Another placenta.
Ultimately, there is no question of genetically manipulate embryos to facilitate their implementation, say the researchers. These highly theoretical research aims to better understand the biology of development to design new treatments against non-genetic infertility and limit the number of miscarriages.
In April, Chinese scientists had already caused a strong stir in the scientific community by publishing works on manipulation of human embryos for the purpose of curing a genetic disease, beta thalassemia. Chinese researchers were not subject to prior authorization for such work. But this type of manipulation is considered a red line by many scholars, since genetic changes could be passed from generation to generation (Current gene therapies do not alter the genome locally without changing the gametes).
These works all use the new edition of the genome CRISPR / cas9 technique. The latter is revolutionizing genetics by providing the means to change quickly, simply and cheaply the genetic code. Four other Chinese teams would work this time on human embryos, according to the magazine Nature . A global debate on the subject becomes more and more essential. Implicitly, always the same fear: that one day is made babies “customized” with all the ethical issues and the dangers that this implies
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