Biotech founder makes moral case for gene-editing human embryos

Origin Genomics founder Cathy Tie argued in Trends in Genetics that gene-editing human embryos is a "moral imperative" and called for public funding and new regulatory pathways. Her company has been optimizing base- and prime-editing tools on donated embryos since March, while Columbia researchers say the technology is not ready for clinical use.

• Origin Genomics launched in March to bring gene-edited embryos to IVF clinics
• Columbia researchers found unwanted and inconsistent genomic changes
• Germline editing for pregnancy is banned in dozens of countries
• US federal funding for human embryo research is legally restricted