International Gene Editing Summit

An international summit which bought together world leading experts to examine the great benefits and significant ethical and societal issues associated with advances in human gene-editing research concluded in Washington DC today. At the end of the meeting the organising committee issued a statement.

In response, the Presidents of the summit’s co-hosting academies – The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and the Royal Society – said:

“We thank the organizers of our International Summit on Human Gene Editing for their thoughtful concluding statement and welcome their call for us to continue to lead a global discussion on issues related to human gene editing.  Together with academies around the world, and in coordination with other international scientific and medical institutions, we stand ready to establish a continuing forum for assessment of the many scientific, medical, and ethical questions surrounding the pursuit of human gene-editing applications.  The forum will mobilize the global expertise necessary to help society develop norms for acceptable uses of human gene-editing technology.  This is an important moment in human history and we have a responsibility to provide all sections of society with an informed basis for making decisions about this technology, especially for uses that would affect generations to come.

“We also want to thank the organizing committee for bringing together so many renowned experts, from many parts of the world and from a variety of disciplines, who for the last three days engaged in such insightful discussions about advances in human gene-editing technologies and their implications for research, medicine, and society.”

Ralph J. Cicerone, President, U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Victor J. Dzau, President, U.S. National Academy of Medicine

Chunli Bai, President, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Venki Ramakrishnan, President, the Royal Society