Chinese researchers perform chemical surgery to remove disease from embryo
A research team at Sun Yat-sen University in China have performed “chemical surgery” to remove disease from embryos – a world first.
A technique called base editing was used to correct errors in genetic code which cause disease. The method corrected a single error our of three billion letters in genetic code.
The original “mistake” in code is called point mutation.
See also:
National cancer centre Singapore to test new ovarian cancer treatment
India expected to ban sale of sweets and soft drinks in tobacconists
Latest edition of Business Review Asia
Lab-made embryos were altered to remove the disease beta-thalassemia but were not implanted. At present implanting these embryos would have been illegal in many countries such as the UK.
The experiment was performed on tissue taken from a patient with the disorder and embryos developed through cloning.
Beta-thalassemia is a blood disorder which can be life threatening. The team hoped this method will one day be used to treat a range of inherited diseases.
Junjiu Huang, one of the researchers, stated: “We are the first to demonstrate the feasibility of curing genetic disease in human embryos by base editor system.”
Base editing was invented by David Liu at Harvard University in 2016 and is a method of changing or “correcting” DNA code which Liu dubbed “chemical surgery.”
Featured Articles
Nirvik Singh, Global COO and President International of Grey Group, cultivating culture and utilising AI to enhance rather than replace human creativity
On a mission to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy solutions, US$30 billion Chinese tech firm Longi is not just selling solar – but using it
Armed with an ambitious billion-dollar strategy, Samsung is on track to achieve net zero carbon emissions company-wide by 2050 – but challenges persist