Gene-editing research conducted at S China's university (3)

GUANGZHOU, April 7, 2016 -- Professor Song Yangzhou (R) guides Huang Junjiu, a gene-function researcher, at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, April 2, 2016. In April of 2015, biologist Huang Junjiu published the first report of a human embryo with edited genes, sparking a global debate on the ethics of such research. In his study, Huang and his team used spare embryos from fertility clinics that could not progress to a live birth, and modified the gene, responsible for a kind of blood disorder, in the embryos. To accomplish the task, they adopted a powerful technique known as CRISPR-Cas9, which can be programmed to precisely alter DNA at specific sequences. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)