Scientists Cautiously Celebrate First ‘In Body’ Gene Editing

Scientists believe they have safely and successfully edited human genes inside the body for the first time, a milestone achievement that brings doctors one step closer to being able to edit disease-causing DNA in the future. On Thursday, results from 11 patients’ procedures were revealed at a rare disease conference in Orlando, Florida. Though it’s too early to see if this round of therapy will be enough to correct the faulty genes in these patients, researchers are now working on a stronger version of the treatment. “This is a first step,” Dr. Joseph Muenzer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who helped test the treatment, told the Associated Press. “It’s just not potent enough.”