GM embryos: time for ethics debate, say scientists

Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and others call for debate on potential of altering DNA to prevent diseases - and risk of 'designer babies'

Leading UK research funders are calling for an urgent national debate on the ethics of genetically modifying human embryos and other tissues to prevent serious diseases.

The plea has been prompted by scientists' rapid progress in developing a powerful tool called genome editing, which has the potential to transform the treatment of genetic conditions by rewriting the DNA code of affected cells.