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HFEA approves licence application to use gene editing in research

Our Licence Committee has approved an application from Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute to renew her laboratory’s research licence to include gene editing of embryos. 

The committee has added a condition to the licence that no research using gene editing may take place until the research has received research ethics approval.

As with all embryos used in research, it is illegal to transfer them to a woman for treatment.

The minutes and inspection report are available here.

Publication date: 2 January 2018

Review date: 2 January 2020