The five pairs of parents all have mutations in their GJB2 gene which guarantees their child will be born deaf.
Russia’s Denis Rebrikov hopes to be the next scientist, after China’s He Jiankui, to use CRISPR technology to edit an embryo before birth. His plan is to edit one copy of the gene so that the child will be born with the ability to hear.
While He performed his experiment without official Chinese permission, Rebrikov plans to obtain the necessary documentation from Russian authorities.
This issue is loaded with ethical questions such as if it’s even right to edit an embryo without knowledge of long-term effects. Plus, since the DNA edit isn’t necessary for the child’s survival, is it really worth the risk? It seems the next step might be for two short parents to edit their child so they can be tall. These are the questions scientist around the world have to grapple with as the pressure to use this technology increases over the coming years.
