#crispr moratorium

Calling Out Russian Guy’s CRISPR Babies Plan

A Russian Scientist named Denis Rebrikov told Nature and then other media including NPR last week that he plans to make CRISPR babies. In other words, babies with heritable genetic modifications.

Denis Rebrikov, ResearchGate image.

I don’t doubt that Rebrikov (pictured in ResearchGate image) might want to do this nor that he might try it, but rather I’m writing this post to point out how his…

When the state & ‘rogue’ scientists collide: case of China & CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎)

A screenshot of part of a photo possibly of He Jiankui 贺建奎, credit from Elsie Chen of NYT.

What happens next to He Jiankui (贺建奎) or as some people now refer to him, the “CRISPR baby guy”?

China has a challenging situation to resolve here, but such conflicts between scientists and governments have happened regularly in history.

When scientists go “rogue” (i.e. don’t conform to norms or ethical…

Mixed messages on CRISPR babies from National Academies versus their experts: a look at new Science piece

Screenshot from National Academy Science article on CRISPR Baby issue.

Three national academy leaders have a new opinion piece in Science on what the community needs to do next regarding human germline editing now that we are most likely in the CRISPR babies era.

Some of us have been wondering what the Academies and their empowered experts really think about all this issue and what they are…