Prof Susan Golombok has been appointed to the International Commission on Human Germline Genome Editing

Prof Susan Golombok has been appointed to the new International Commission on Human Germline Genome Editing. Following the report that the first genetically edited babies were born in 2018, this international commission will develop principles, criteria and standards for the clinical use of genome editing of the human germline, should it be deemed ethical.

The international commission is being convened by the U.K.’s Royal Society, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. It includes representatives from ten countries. Together, they will identify the scientific issues that must be evaluated before human genome editing takes place, and assess possible mechanisms for long-term monitoring of children born with edited genomes.

Prof Golombok’s research will contribute crucial insights into potential implications for the families who may come about as a result of genome editing, and issues associated with the follow up of the children.