Academies’ action plan for germline editing

Alongside Lander et al.’s call for a voluntary moratorium on human germline genome editing, the leaders of three advisory bodies—the US National Academies of Sciences and Medicine and the UK’s Royal Academy—voiced their support. In a brief Nature correspondence, the authors invoke both previous international summits on human genome editing, the Academies’ 2017 report, and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ 2018 recommendations to argue that researchers should not proceed with germline editing, at least “until preclinical research clarifies the potential risks and benefits.” The Academies identify their leadership of an international commission and their liaison with the World Health Organization’s expert panel to move toward international consensus on standards of governance for germline editing.