Bay Area Startups Want to Make Genetically Engineered Babies. What Could Go Wrong?

In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first such baby: in 2018, a Chinese scientist announced he had altered embryos to create a baby immune from HIV. He was sentenced to prison for the illegal practice of medicine. In the US and across the globe, ethical concerns about gene editing embryos to eliminate disease and replicate certain traits like a higher IQ are raising alarms. We’ll talk to experts about what is at stake and how innovations in genetic engineering are being directed. Guests: Dr. Fyodor Urnov, Professor of Molecular Therapeutics, University of California, Berkeley - Urnov is also the scientific director at its Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) Katherine Long, reporter, investigations team, Wall Street Journal - Long's latest piece is titled "Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway" Katie Hasson, executive director, Center for Genetics and Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices