In 2018, the Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world when he revealed that he had created the first gene-edited babies. Using Crispr, he modified the genes of three human embryos to try to make them resistant to HIV, and used them to get pregnant.
The reaction to Him was immediate. Scientists said the technology was too up-to-date to be used in human reproduction and that the change in DNA represented a genetic gain. The Chinese government accused him of “illegal medical practices” and he served three years in prison.
Now, a Fresh York startup called Manhattan Genomics is reigniting the debate about gene-edited babies. Its stated goal is to end genetic diseases and alleviate human suffering by correcting harmful mutations at the embryonic stage. The company announced the formation of a group of “scientific co-authors” that includes a prominent in vitro fertilization physician, a data scientist working for the anti-extinction company Colossal Biosciences, and two reproductive biologists from a immense primate research center. Also involved in the case is a scientist who pioneered a technique for creating embryos using the DNA of three people.
“I like to take on challenges when I see them,” says co-founder Cathy Tie, a former Thiel Fellow who left college at 18 to start her first company, Ranomics, a genomics screening service. According to Tie, this challenge is to make the idea of editing human embryos more acceptable in society.
The idea of editing human embryos is tempting because any changes made to reproductive cells are heritable. Cut out a disease-causing mutation in the embryo and it will be removed from future generations as well. However, gene editing technology can also cause unintended “off-target” effects. Modify the wrong gene by mistake, which can cause cancer, for example. These mistakes will also be passed on to future children.
Although newer forms of gene editing are more precise, there are still ethical issues that need to be dealt with. The prospect of being able to manipulate the DNA of a human embryo has raised fears of a up-to-date type of eugenics, in which parents with the means could create “designer children” with traits of their choosing.
Tie says the goal of Manhattan Genomics – originally called the Manhattan Project when the company launched in August – is to correct disease, not enhance it. Unlike original Manhattan designTie, a secret U.S. government program during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons, Tie says its venture will operate openly and transparently. “We are revolutionizing medicine, and this technology is certainly very powerful. I think that is what is common here with manipulating the nucleus of the atom and manipulating the nucleus of the cell,” he says.