Medi-tech / H+: Genetically engineered humans have already been born
Genetically engineered humans have already been born The earthshaking news appeared some years ago in the medical journal Human Reproduction under the impenetrable headline: "Mitochondria in Human Offspring Derived From Ooplasmic Transplantation." The media put the story in heavy rotation for one day, then forgot about it. We all forgot about it. But the fact remains that the world is now populated by dozens of children who were genetically engineered . It still sounds like science fiction, yet it's true. In the first known application of germline gene therapy — in which an individual's genes are changed in a way that can be passed to offspring — doctors at a reproductive facility in New Jersey announced in March 2001 that nearly 30 healthy babies had been born with DNA from three people: dad, mom, and a second woman. Fifteen were the product of the fertility clinic, with the other fifteen or so coming from elsewhere. The doctors believe that one cause for...