Genetic engineering of humans has great potential, says Nobel winner

Sir Venki Ramakrishnan says risks and benefits of germline therapy, which is banned in Britain, should be debated

The genetic engineering of humans has great potential to help those destined to inherit serious, incurable diseases, according to one of Britain's most prominent scientists, who says the risks and benefits should be debated by society.

The invention of powerful new genome editing tools means researchers can now make precise changes to genetic material, and so consider correcting faulty DNA in human sperm, eggs and embryos.