WHO requests a Registry Registry for Human Genetics
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By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Report
(HEALTH)
MONDAY, July 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) - New recommendations on human genetic planning released by the World Health Organization call for a worldwide registration to follow "any form of genetic abuse" and a flawed or unsafe process of research.
The WHO first set up an expert advisory panel in late 2018, after a Chinese scientist claimed to have established the world's first genetically engineered children, reports the Associated Press.
All studies involving human genetic engineering should be made known, even if it would not stop unscrupulous scientists, a panel of experts now advises.
"In the field of stem cell research, unscrupulous entrepreneurs and clinicians have deliberately misused the registration of clinical trials by registering procedures they plan to imply that clinical trials are approved," he notes.
They said the WHO should ensure that all genetic research registered in its database is reviewed and approved by the ethics committee, reports AP
Also, the United Nations health agency should have mechanisms in place to identify any potential genetic testing and to report "violations of research integrity."
There have been a number of cases where the attack has disrupted controversial genetic engineering in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, says executive committee member Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute, reports AP.
However, while the WHO now requires strong attention to genetic planning, there is not much the agency can actually do, as genetic planning techniques are cheap and simple.
The United Nations cannot force any country to abide by its own laws, even in the face of public health emergencies, the WHO has acknowledged.
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