The scientists of the Editas Medicine and Allergan companies are planning to conduct a unique experiment to change human DNA, 9News.com reported.
According to the source, researchers are interested in people with a hereditary form of blindness who cannot see because of a lack of a gene responsible for translating light signals into signals that the brain can read.
During the experiment, scientists plan to introduce into the bodies of children over 3 years of age and adults a corresponding gene. Experiments are scheduled to begin this fall.
Experts emphasize that the study will edit the genome of already born people: it will be easier to track the side effects compared to editing the DNA of embryos.
According to scientists, the changes made to the genome will not be passed on to the next generations.
The first children with the edited DNA were born recently in China. Scientist He Jiankui claims that he used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to remove a gene in the embryo, which made them immune to HIV.
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