‘Claims that allowing GM embryos will ‘give a massive boost to IVF success rates’ are pure spin aimed at seducing regulators into giving a green light for highly controversial research,’ said Dr Peter Saunders of the Christian Medical Fellowship.
In January, research scientist Dr Kathy Niakan, from the Francis Crick Institute in London, made her case to be the first in the UK to be allowed to genetically modify human embryos. Niakan wants to use a new technique called Crispr-Cas9 to ‘edit’ genes in day-old human embryos left over from IVF in order to discover what role they play in normal embryo development. The research is highly controversial, and results in the destruction of the embryos.
International criticism is mainly driven by concerns about safety and unforeseen consequences – introducing genetic changes into a day old embryo will mean that any genetic change will be expressed in every cell of the developing human being, including reproductive cells.
