In the summer of 2026, two studies revived the debate on embryo gene editing, a technique that consists of manipulating the DNA of a human embryo for reasons ranging from better understanding human development to preventing children from developing certain diseases.
One study was led by Kathy Niakan at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and the other by Dieter Egli at Columbia University in the United States.
Both researchers employed base editing, a technique developed in 2016 to alter genetic material with greater precision than earlier methods. Both conducted their research on human embryos instead of mice, and both delivered results which caught the attention of many around the world.
Embryo gene editing is not yet a medical reality. Scientifically, modifying the genes of a human embryo is extremely challenging. In addition, no country allows the modification of cells that can be passed on to offspring.
With these studies, is society closer to the possibility of safely creating gene-edited babies? What are the ethical concerns surrounding this practice?
The studies
Using base editing, the Cambridge study targeted NANOG, a specific gene which was found to be essential for the formation of future bodies from an embryo.
“Base editing represents a significant advance on conventional CRISPR-Cas9 because it carries a far lower risk of causing unintended chromosome errors,” Kathy Niakan said in a press release.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Columbia’s research group tried base editing in three genes: one linked to high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, and the other two related to haemoglobin production.
“By introducing such damage using editors, we are starting to understand how human embryos handle damage in their genomes. Long term, we hope to learn how to prevent genetic and developmental abnormalities during IVF to create more efficient, safer, and more affordable fertility treatments,” said Dieter Egli in a press release.
According to Robin Lovell-Badge, principal group leader and head of the laboratory of stem cell biology and developmental genetics at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the two studies are on the right path, but there’s room for improvement.
“The methods look much safer. But there’s still work to do,” he told Euronews Next. “It looks like the levels of mosaicism are low, but not zero. So there’s going to have to be more work done there,” he added.
Mosaicism is one of the main obstacles of gene editing. It happens when base-editor molecules fail to find and modify certain cells. This phenomenon could potentially cause the development of certain diseases.
The ethical debate
Although research on embryo gene editing might be advancing, several ethical questions remain unanswered.
“A question that very often pops up in regard to that is the tension between therapy versus enhancement,” Pascal Borry, professor of bioethics at the University of Leuven, in Belgium, told Euronews Next. “Where do we put the line? What is therapeutic? What is an improvement?” he added.
Borry also highlighted other ethical puzzles, ranging from the issue of consent to the problem of stigmatising a community already living with a certain disease.
In addition, he underlined that embryo gene editing might not be necessary: “There are many other alternatives to this technology, and I think it’s important to reflect upon that. And I’m thinking about the pre-implantation genetic testing,” he said.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is a medical test that takes place during in vitro fertilisation treatment to detect any abnormalities in the embryos.
Björn Heindryckx, professor at Ghent University in Belgium and principal investigator coordinating research in the infertility department, agrees with Borry on the non-necessity of using embryo gene editing to prevent certain genetic conditions.
Yet, he argues that this technique could still have benefits: “If we understand, and with this tool we can really test it much better, if we can get more insight into embryo development, it will give us more insight into certain forms of infertility.”
Badge, on the other hand, is less worried about the ethical implications of this technique. “I don’t have a problem with doing it if it’s safe and there’s a good ethical reason for doing it. I think it’s unethical to allow people to have children that have a genetic disorder if you can avoid it,” he explained.
According to Badge, countries should regulate the practice; however, they should not adopt a restrictive ban. “Let’s say you want to fly to Mars. You’re going to be in space for a long time; you’re going to have an environment with very high levels of radiation. So you may want to be modified to deal with high levels of radiation,” he told Euronews Next.
Euronews Tech Talks is a podcast produced, written, presented and published in English.