Chinese scientists once again dabbled in the genetic modification of human embryos last week, causing more debate over the ethics surrounding these types of experiments and the possibility of human cloning.
The researchers used the CRISPR gene-editing technique to artificially induce a mutation in human cells in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV. Their paper remains the second published account of the genetic modification of human embryos, and critics aren't impressed.
Scientists claim that the study was unnecessary and lacked adequate medical justification, suggesting that it was, ultimately, dangerous and edges closer down the slippery slope of human genetic modification and cloning.
"This paper doesn't look like it offers much more than anecdotal evidence that (CRISPR) works in human embryos, which we already knew," said George Daley, a stem-cell biologist at Children's Hospital Boston, adding that this represents an indication that "the science is going forward before there's been the general consensus after deliberation that such an approach is medically warranted."
Tetsuya Ishii, a bioethicist at Japan's Hokkaido University, agreed with Daley's sentiments, claiming that the work is "just playing with human embryos."
Despite these criticisms, the research team that conducted the study ignored these concerns, pointing to the future market for disease treatments that will rise from this kind of research.
"The assessments of those outside the field are not authoritative, and the research environment will continue to evolve," they said. "For us what is most important is that we diligently complete our research and stick to the path we believe in, acquiring independent intellectual property rights... so that we do not have to defer to others."
China is quickly becoming a leader in the field of genetic research and cloning, with the world's biggest cloning factory currently in the process of being constructed at the northern port of Tianjon.
The firm behind the factory - Boyalife Group - claims that they possess technology that is advanced enough to replicate humans and has gone as far as saying that mainland locations are preferable for their work due to the bioethics laws in other areas that prohibit experimentation on human eggs.
"Technology is moving very fast ... [and] social values can change," said Xu Xiaochun, chief executive of the company. "Maybe in 100 years, in 200 years, people will think differently. [They] may think this technology is going to benefit the human race as a whole ... Boyalife will move along with social values."
Although the legality of human embryo research varies by country, recent research doesn't seem to show that China plans to stop their pursuit of genetic modification and potential human cloning anytime soon.
