The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT), in partnership with the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), today issued a unified joint statement calling for a 10-year global moratorium on heritable human genome editing (HHGE). This action reflects significant concerns over the current lack of scientific evidence to ensure the safety of HHGE, the limited number of use cases amid rapidly advancing alternative therapies, and the absence of global ethical consensus.
Published in Cytotherapy, the Official Journal of ISCT, this statement also outlines a set of principles relating to HHGE governance such that any theoretical future application is considered within a framework that prioritizes safety, transparency, dignity of persons, and societal trust.
“Considering existing therapeutic options, the significant technical limitations, and the societal and ethical resistance, moving forward with HHGE would introduce unknown and potentially severe risks for individuals and their descendants. Further concerns include an underground or overt market for germline editing for perceived enhancements, which could profoundly impact humanity creating laboratory engineered genetic discrimination,” said Bruce Levine, Chair of the ISCT Ethics of Cell and Gene Therapy Committee.
“The field, and the world at large have not had the time to fully consider the implications of HHGE,” said Miguel Forte, ISCT President, “At this critical juncture, we cannot let implementation outpace dialogue. We call on global scientific and policy bodies to carefully consider the technology, the ethics, the necessity, and the governance surrounding HHGE.”
The signatory organizations stress the importance of a globally cohesive and consistent approach to any potential further development of HHGE. To build transparency and regulatory consistency, adequate time is needed for stakeholders, including policy makers, to examine and discuss the risks, alternatives, and potential benefits of HHGE.
"ISCT stands at the forefront of guiding responsible innovation in cell and gene therapy," said Queenie Jang, ISCT Chief Executive Officer, "As a global platform uniting scientific, clinical, regulatory, and industry stakeholders, ISCT plays a critical role in ensuring that emerging technologies like HHGE are developed with the highest ethical standards and a steadfast focus on patient safety."
Read the position
#News
#CommunityFeature
#TopStory