Ethical warning bells went off in April when Chinese researchers reported they had experimented with 85 defective human embryos to try to alter genes in every cell without otherwise damaging the DNA.
They failed. In most cases the genes were not altered at all, and in the few cases where the scientists managed to alter the genes, there were problems.
Even though the researchers had no plans to produce a live baby, their work once again raised the issue of how soon science will be able to engineer designer babies and, just as importantly, whether doing so is ethical.
“Science is moving at such a rapid pace that society can’t put off much longer deciding what it thinks about the concept,” said Peter Schattner, a scientist and author of the book “Sex, Love and DNA: What Molecular Biology Teaches Us About Being Human.” Schattner has 30 years of research experience in molecular biology, genetics, biomedical instrumentation, and physics. He received his doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has held research and teaching positions at the University of California, California State University, and Stanford Research Institute.
