A working group from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has reviewed some concerns that arise from genome editing, the Guardian reports.
The Guardian notes that as new tools for genome editing are cheaper and easier to use, garage tinkerers and other enthusiasts could use them outside of a lab setting. Indeed, it adds that one company sells a DIY kit for £100 (USD$130) that enables at-home biologists to make E. coli streptomycin resistant.
While the council's working group notes the ease of use of new editing approaches, it also examines the ethical conundrums such use poses. The report doesn't offer any recommendations for actions to take — a planned second report is to tackle that — but it does highlight issues that it says should be considered further.
According to the report, the notion of editing human embryos sparks the most controversy as it could both eliminate disease, but also affect the human germline or be used in a more consumer fashion, as the Guardian adds. "We've identified human reproductive applications as an area that demands urgent ethical scrutiny and we must consider carefully how to respond to this possibility now well before it becomes a practical choice," report co-author Karen Yeung from King's College London tells the paper.
At the same time, the council urges that the technology's potential use in livestock also be reviewed as it could both address food supply issues and spark concerns about labeling as CRISPR-Cas9 approach don't leave much trace behind.