International call for moratorium on genome editing of the human germline

Several scientific societies, including the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy, and organisations representing the makers of cell and gene therapies, have called for a ten-year international moratorium on the use of DNA editing approaches, such as CRISPR, on human germ cells to create genetically modified children.

This call comes over seven years after the Chinese researcher He Jiankui announced the birth of the world's first genome edited babies and and his subsequent imprisonment (see BioNews 1250, 1247, 1197 and 977).

While the statement has no legal force, it is intended to offer guidance to the legislatures of individual countries.

A draft of the declaration has been published in STAT News.