U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
NIH Office of the Director (OD) <https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director>
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2019
CONTACT: NIH Office of Communications, 301-496-5787, <e-mail:nmb@xxxxxxxxxx>
NIH SUPPORTS INTERNATIONAL MORATORIUM ON CLINICAL APPLICATION OF GERMLINE EDITING
Today, leading scientists and ethicists from seven countries have called for an international moratoriumon <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nature.com_articles_d41586-2D019-2D00726-2D5&d=DwMGaQ&c=E2nBno7hEddFhl23N5nD1Q&r=jYlnX1OnItymBcYNYHda_Q&m=6K_swN9lK9nR8DWHz2nFOD2P6Y2yg78IMdrwkVyREh4&s=bMAa7wikidJxygO9I64HKrxY8Driungi7esijF_j9pk&e=> on the use of genetic editing to modify the human germline for clinical purposes. The call comes in the wake of irresponsible and unethical research in China, in which twins were born after alterations to their DNA before implantation. This unexpected and unwelcome revelation roiled the scientific community and the general public, and crystalized the need for guiding international principles. Research on the potential to alter the very biological essence of humanity raises profound safety, ethical, and philosophical issues. I expressed NIH's position on the incident in November 2018 <https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/statement-claim-first-gene-edited-babies-chinese-researcher>.
Until nations can commit to international guiding principles to help determine whether and under what conditions such research should ever proceed, NIH strongly agrees that an international moratorium should be put into effect immediately. NIH Office of Science Policy Director Dr. Carrie Wolinetz and I have outlined the reasons for a moratorium and the need for international actions in a correspondence to the journal Nature <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nature.com_articles_d41586-2D019-2D00814-2D6&d=DwMGaQ&c=E2nBno7hEddFhl23N5nD1Q&r=jYlnX1OnItymBcYNYHda_Q&m=6K_swN9lK9nR8DWHz2nFOD2P6Y2yg78IMdrwkVyREh4&s=FJwaKD-OG4rmkL-c3Z9ec3dEpfYEuiuuDc6yg9AaXXg&e=>.
NIH looks forward to working with other U.S. and international federal agencies, health and science organizations, patient communities, and the public at large to engage in a substantive debate about the benefits and risks of this research. We are hopeful that this shared interest will result in a judicious framework to address future decisions on whether or how the clinical use of germline editing could be done with the utmost respect for human life.
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, NIH
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.
NIH...Turning Discovery into Health -- Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
###
This Statement is available online at:
<https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-supports-international-moratorium-clinical-application-germline-editing>
To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from NIH News Release mailings, go to
<http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USNIH_1>.
If you subscribed via the NIH LISTSERV, go to <https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A0=nihpress>.
