Académie Nationale De Médecine

Interventions causing genome modifications that can be passed on to descendants have been prohibited in France since 1994. New methods, such as CRISPR-Cas9, have been developed, raising questions about their potential use on human germline cells and embryos. The only acceptable medical indication would be to prevent the transmission of a disease gene to the child. However, the necessary conditions have not yet been met for this technology to be considered for clinical use, particularly as concerns the efficacy and safety of these methods. There are also other ways for couples to achieve the goal of having children. The ethical questions raised by these technologies will require multidisciplinary discussions within the wider debate on all assisted reproductive technology procedures, which may affect the genome of the unborn child, and, possibly, of subsequent generations. However, this research, including that on germline cells and human embryos, should be carried out provided that it is scientifically and medically justified. *The following members of the Académie Nationale de Médecine participated to the Working Committee: Full members: Monique Adolphe, Jean-François Allilaire, Raymond Ardaillou, Claudine Bergoignan-Esper, Yves Chapuis, Francis Galibert, Alain Fischer, Pierre Jouannet (coordinator), Jean Yves Le Gall, Jean François Mattei, Jacques Milliez, Alfred Spira Corresponding members: Gérard Benoit, Nathalie Cartier-Lacave, Marc Delpech, Philippe Jeanteur, Yves Le Bouc, Jean Louis Mandel, Florent Soubrier And Anne Fagot-Largeault (Académie des Sciences)