Ethical concerns temper optimism about gene-editing for human diseases

It's still far too premature to try to use powerful new technologies to edit genes that can be passed down from generation to generation, according to the organizers of the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing that concluded Wednesday in London.

Techniques that have made it easier to manipulate DNA still produce too many mistakes for scientists to be confident any children born from edited embryos would be healthy, according to the organizers of the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing.

Moreover, a broad societal debate about the implications for humanity would be necessary before moving forward, the summit organizers said.

"Unacceptable at this time"

"Heritable human genome editing remains unacceptable at this time," the committee said in the summit's closing statement. "Heritable human genome editing should not be used unless, at a minimum, it meets reasonable standards for safety and efficacy, is legally sanctioned, and has been developed and tested under a system of rigorous oversight that is subject to responsible governance. At this time, these conditions have not been met."

Despite the statement, critics were...