Armstrong Invests in CRISPR: ‘Designer Baby’ Tech?
- A new company is setting its sights on becoming a defining force in the U.S.
- Dieter Egli, a gene-editing scientist at Columbia University who has consulted with the company's backer, suggests that recent technological improvements are driving this new venture.
- "It doesn’t mean the work is all done, but it’s a very different game now—entirely different."
News Directory 3 reports on a new company poised to lead U.S.gene editing, focusing on embryo research. This bold move follows advancements in safer, more precise techniques like base editing, a meaningful shift from the controversial “designer baby” experiments of the past. Ethical considerations have long limited this field, but scientists now assert they understand gene editing far better, opening new possibilities. While creating gene-edited babies remains largely illegal, the company’s ambitions could reshape regulations and spark a fresh wave of research, as American attitudes toward gene alteration for disease treatment evolve. Discover what’s next in this groundbreaking arena.
Gene Editing Firm Eyes US Role in Embryo Research
Updated June 08, 2025
A new company is setting its sights on becoming a defining force in the U.S. through gene editing, particularly in embryo research. This move marks a notable shift in a field that has faced ethical questions since the 2018 birth of genetically edited babies in China, an experiment that sparked international condemnation and legal repercussions.
Dieter Egli, a gene-editing scientist at Columbia University who has consulted with the company’s backer, suggests that recent technological improvements are driving this new venture. Base editing, a technique that precisely alters single DNA letters, offers a safer alternative to earlier methods that risked damaging the double helix.
“We know much better now what to do,” Egli said. “It doesn’t mean the work is all done, but it’s a very different game now—entirely different.”
Embryo editing, with the goal of creating humans with tailored genes, has long been stigmatized and underfunded. While studying embryos in the lab is legal, creating a gene-edited baby remains illegal in most countries.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Management is prohibited from even considering applications for gene-edited babies. Though, this regulation could change if scientists demonstrate a compelling use for the technology or if lobbying efforts prove prosperous. A Pew Research Center poll from seven years ago indicated that Americans were largely in favor of gene alteration to treat disease, though most opposed embryo experimentation.
Currently, no U.S. company openly pursues embryo editing, and the federal government provides no funding for such studies. Research is primarily conducted at two academic centers: Egli’s at Columbia University and another at Oregon Health & Science University.
What’s next
The company’s emergence could signal a new era for gene editing in the U.S., perhaps leading to increased research and a reevaluation of existing regulations surrounding embryo modification and the ethical role of gene editing.