Joy Zhang

I’m delighted to say that the project, Ethical Issues Surrounding Human Germline Genome Editing, that I’ve been developing with Kathleen Vogel (PI, University of Maryland) and Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley (George Mason University) has been funded by the National Science Foundation in the US.

In the next 36 months, we will collaboratively (1) examine how U.S. and Chinese scientists are developing CRISPR technologies for human embryo research; (2) identify the conditions (organizational, cultural, and social) and regulatory environment that allow the fast paced application of CRISPR research in China; (3) evaluate U.S. and Chinese government oversight of CRISPR research for human applications involving different institutions, actors, and funding mechanisms; (4) assess U.S. and Chinese scientist understanding and knowledge about the ethical implications of CRISPR for human germline genome editing; (5) use the gathered data to assess the ethical implications of CRISPR in China and the United States; (6) offer short- and long-term recommendations to help inform U.S. and international policymaking regarding human germline genome editing research.