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Ethics Emphasized but not without Controversy

I’m happy to report Bioethics was at the forefront each day at the International Human Genome Editing Symposium. Controversy and disagreement between panelists as well as the audience was frequent, showing the lack of consensus on the ethics of continuing Heritable Human Gene Editing. The value of this research was questioned outright, especially in light of other successful editing techniques that don’t risk the health of subjects or their progeny. All previous consensus statements from …

Ethical Treatment Cure for Sickle Cell Disease

Contrary to the last International Human Genome Editing Symposium, the focus was Somatic Human Gene Editing (SHGE), wherein the non-reproductive cells of adults/children were utilized to explore cures for diseases. This approach makes changes in the patient’s DNA without causing those changes to be inherited by future offspring. In gene editing, there is always a possibility of unexpected, off-target mutations occurring, with unknown detrimental outcomes. While the human subject of a clinical trial should have …

Understanding Gain of Function and it’s impact on the Pandemic

In our 2022 year-end report, we briefly discussed an ethical issue directly associated with the recent pandemic, namely Gain of Function (GOF) research. It is vital that we possess understanding of GOF origins and significance.

GOF research had been quietly pursued internationally for decades before it was officially named and given public attention. In 2011, 2 groups of scientists (funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH)) genetically engineered an avian influenza virus (H5N1), making …

Year End Report

Dear NCER Supporter,

The year of 2022 has been dominated with news surrounding ethical issues related to research associated with the pandemic, specifically viral “Gain-of-Function”, and the mRNA vaccine. Bioethicists are engaged in a battle over the morality of mandated vaccinations, whose safety and efficacy are being questioned. This dilemma intersects with ethical inquiries into the laboratory creation of population-threatening viruses for biodefense purposes. Hence, we currently face a credibility crisis in medicine overall.

Rest …

Medical Credibility Crisis

It is critical that all of us are aware of the credibility crisis that currently exists between the medical community and patients. During the unprecedented last 2.5 years, populations around the world have been repeatedly exposed to a new vaccine technology (mRNA) which did not complete long-term standard safety and efficacy research before it was brought to public use. Generally speaking, in times of crisis such as a pandemic, people trust the medical experts. In …

Pfizer, FDA Lose Bid to Further Delay Release of COVID Vaccine Safety Data

Thankfully, a federal judge rejected the request for the delay in data release due to a case which originated from a denied FOIA filing by the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency. Perhaps coincidently, after this court decision, Pfizer announced a postponement in their application for vaccine approval for young children. Read more here:

Vaccine Safety Data

Vaccines for children . . .…

CRISPR Causes Mutations that are Passed on to Offspring

It is 2022, and even with the explosion of medical research over the last decade using CRISPR gene editing, the unwanted and off-target mutations caused by the game-changing tool have not been controlled. Furthermore, studies consistently find that these mutations are directly inherited by any offspring produced. Indeed, CRISPR has facilitated great strides in curing single-genome diseases, such as sickle-cell anemia. But these are cases where adults were treated, and embryos/germ cells (eggs and sperm) …

IVG: Making Babies from Skin Cells

In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) involves creating human embryos without the use of eggs or sperm…from adult skin cells. When combined with gene editing (sometimes using DNA from an outside party), this technique will produce and grow “designer babies”, paving the way for any individual to become a parent. IVG has already produced successful outcomes, and fine tuning is being aggressively pursued. Just as in IVF, scores of created embryos are destroyed in the process. Once …

Gene Edited Pig Heart Successfully Transplanted

In a ground-breaking first, researchers and surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center have successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig heart into a dying man. For the heart to not be rejected once transplanted, 10 separate genes were deleted or added using CRISPR, earning the donor animal the nickname of a “10 gene pig”. Over 100,000 patients are awaiting an organ transplant at any given time, and about 20 of them die each day. This …

COVID 19 Vaccine Mandate – Ethics Update

Dr. Robert Malone changed the world in 1989 when he became the father of the mRNA vaccine platform technology at the famous Salk Institute. While not inventing the COVID mRNA vaccines, a 2015 article in Gene affirms that Malone invented the idea and method used to transfer mRNA into mammalian cells.

Dr. Malone has joined with 17,000 international medical colleagues to oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, in accordance with the Nuremburg Code and the Belmont Principles …