Human Gene Editing Information-Gathering Meeting

To inform a committee that is planning the International Summit on Human Gene Editing, taking place on 1-3 December 2015 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and U.S. National Academy of Medicine are holding a meeting on 5 October 2015 to provide the committee with an overview of the state of the science of human gene editing.

Invited experts will discuss human gene-editing technologies, their efficiency, utility, and measurement of unintended events, the historical context of embryo and gene manipulation, approaches to treat and prevent genetic diseases, and Chinas contributions to gene editing research. The ethics and governance aspects of human gene-editing will not be the focus of this meeting, although they will be significant topics at the international summit in December.

The international summit -- which will be co-hosted by the U.S. Academies, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society -- is part of a major initiative to inform decision making related to new and emerging human gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9.  These technologies could lead to promising, novel ways to treat devastating diseases, but they also raise concerns, particularly about their potential to be used to make genetic changes that could be passed on to future generations, thereby modifying the human germline.

Those who cannot attend in person may watch via live webcast here.

A full agenda and further information can be found here.