Researchers in China have recently claimed that they have led to the birth of first genetically modified twin girls. They claim that the girls carry genome that has been modified to protect them from HIV infection. However, they have not published their work in any peer evaluated journal or even revealed the identities of the twins or their parents. The genetic modification of human embryos is highly regulated in all countries and genetically modified human embryos are not allowed to grow and be implanted. The long term effects of modifying the human genome are unknown and the potential risks of the same outweigh any advantage of the same. The ethics regarding the modification of human babies is enormous and the scientists avoid entering into it. There are issues regarding taking consent of the donors and also the potential harmful traits that can be transmitted to future generations of the genetically modified babies. The claims made by the Chinese researchers need to be assessed before anything can be said about the genetic modification of human foetuses for eradication of diseases.
