Altering human heredity sounds sci-fi, but a major new ethics report is leaving open the possibility that one day scientists might try that to fight some serious genetic diseases.
Don't expect designer babies any time soon — but a major new ethics report leaves open the possibility of one day altering human heredity to fight genetic diseases, with stringent oversight, using new tools that precisely edit genes inside living cells.
What's called genome editing already is transforming biological research, and being used to develop treatments for patients struggling with a range of diseases.
