A study published 2 August, 2017 in the scientific journal Nature details the first use of CRISPR technology in the U.S. to correct a disease-causing genetic defect in very early stage human embryos created through in vitro fertilization. The embryos were not used for reproductive purposes and were not allowed to develop for more than a few days.

The ISSCR opposes a provision of the U.S. House of Representatives Labor-HHS-Education FY18 Appropriations bill that would ban federal funding for fetal tissue research. In a letter sent to members of the House Committee on Appropriations, and signed by other scientific and medical organizations, the ISSCR says that, if enacted, this legislation would severely impede research that is necessary for the development of new treatments for a wide range of serious and incurable diseases. It would have a devastating effect on the future of biomedical advances and regenerative medicine.

The FY2018 Discretionary Budget Plan put forward by the U.S. Administration includes dramatic cuts in funding for science and research programs that would threaten biomedical research and its translation into new therapies for millions of people worldwide. Recent advances in stem cell research, gene therapy, genomics, and cancer biology have created unprecedented opportunities to create new treatments for human disease. Yet the 20 percent funding reduction for the National Institutes of Health in the administration’s proposal would slow the development of new cures and cause long-term damage to the U.S. research infrastructure and to public health efforts around the world.