LONDON—Britain’s fertility regulator has approved a scientist’s application to edit the human genetic code using a new technique that some fear crosses too many ethical boundaries.
In a statement Monday, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it has granted a research application to a team led by scientist Kathy Niakan to try to understand the genes that human embryos need to develop successfully.
Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryo’s growth.
Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, said Niakan’s research would “enhance our understanding of (in vitro fertilization) success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development.”
Last year, Chinese researchers made the first attempt at modifying genes in human embryos. Their laboratory experiment didn’t work but raised the prospect of altering genes to repair the genes of future generations.
Scientists say such techniques could lead to treatments for inherited conditions like muscular dystrophy and HIV.
