New U.S. Experiments Aim To Create Gene-Edited Human Embryos

Dieter Egli, a developmental biologist at Columbia University, and Katherine Palmerola examine a newly fertilized egg injected with a CRISPR editing tool.

Rob Stein/NPR

A scientist in New York is conducting experiments designed to modify DNA in human embryos as a step toward someday preventing inherited diseases, NPR has learned.

For now, the work is confined to a laboratory. But the research, if successful, would mark another step toward turning CRISPR, a powerful form of gene editing, into a tool for medical treatment.

A Chinese scientist sparked international outrage in November when he announced that he had used the same technique to create the world’s first gene-edited human babies. He said his goal was to protect them from infection with HIV, a claim that was criticized because there are safe, effective and far less controversial ways of achieving that goal.