Scientists have cured human embryos of a blood disorder in a first-ever technique that could one day stamp out inherited diseases.
Researchers with Sun Yat-sen University in China performed “chemical surgery” on the lab-made embryos to remove the disease called beta thalassemia, which reduces the production of hemoglobin, according to the BBC.
“We are the first to demonstrate the feasibility of curing genetic disease in human embryos by base editor system,” said researcher Junjiu Huang.
Huang said the study creates the possibility of treating patients and preventing babies being born with beta thalassemia — “and even other inherited diseases.”
The experiment was conducted on tissue taken from a patient with the blood disorder and human embryos made through cloning.
Researchers used a technique called “base editing,” which alters the fundamental building blocks of DNA — adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine, commonly known by their respective first letters, A, C, G and T.
Beta thalassemia is caused by a fault called a point mutation — a change to a single base in the genetic code.
Researchers used base editing to change a G base to an A — successfully curing the DNA of the blood disorder.
Base editing is an advanced form of gene editing called Crispr, which breaks DNA.
David Liu, who pioneered the technique at Harvard University, said the method is preferred because it creates fewer side effects than Crispr.
“About two-thirds of known human genetic variants associated with disease are point mutations,” said Liu. “So base editing has the potential to directly correct, or reproduce for research purposes, many pathogenic [mutations].”