Human Gene Editing Research Could Begin Soon
July 5, 2016
7/5/16 – Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have gained approval from a federal ethics panel to use, for the first time ever, the gene-editing tool called CRISPR to alter the immune systems of cancer patients to aid in their treatment. If the Food and Drug Administration grants its approval, research can begin. Issues recently took an extensive look at this revolutionary new technology (check here for an overview), centered around the International Summit on Human Gene Editing, which offered an overview of the science explained by the leading researchers in the world, but devoted most of its attention to the social, legal, ethical, and policy questions that are essential to understanding how to use or limit the technology.