Exploring ethical issues in genome editing

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public survey and call for evidence on the topic of genome editing.

Genome editing is a new biological technique which has the potential to allow us to alter, or ‘edit’, genomes via the insertion, deletion or replacement of pieces of DNA. This could enable us to target gene variants that are known to be responsible for genetic diseases, but it could also be extended to alter other genetic characteristics, giving rise to a range of ethical dilemmas.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an independent body that examines and reports on ethical issues in biology and medicine, has recently launched a public survey and call for evidence on this subject.

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In their public survey they are interested in exploring “ethical questions about these potential uses of genome editing and how far we, as a society, should go in altering fundamental aspects of human biology.” They are seeking as wide a range of opinions as possible – if you would like to participate please click here.

The call for evidence is a refresh of a previous 2016 call, and is aimed at organisations and individuals with an existing interest in or knowledge about genome editing.

You can find out more about the public survey and the call for evidence here.

The closing date for responses to the both the survey and call for evidence is 30 June, 2017.