CHR received a good number of calls and messages following a report on NPR’s Health News on August 22, 2019 by Rob Stein that investigators at Weill-Cornell Medicine are attempting to use CRISPR/Cas-9 to alter genes in human sperm. The report was something of a surprise, considering how sensitive an issue genetic germline editing in humans has become. Obviously, one can safely assume that our colleagues at Weill-Cornell have no intention of using so-modified sperm in creating human embryos and that they have received all the necessary ethical approvals for their research.
The purpose of this research makes sense: genetic mutations are not only passed on through the egg but also through a fertilizing spermatozoon. Eliminating for example mutations that increase cancer risks may, therefore, also in semen make sense.
The laboratory that is conducting this research is run by Gianpiero Palermo, MD, Professor of embryology in obstetrics and gynecology at Weill-Cornell and a leading authority in male infertility. He almost single-handedly revolutionized the treatment of male infertility, when in those days working in Brussels, Belgium, he performed the first successful cases of intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI) in the world.
The success of ICSI has changed the world of male infertility and has allowed millions of men to become genetic fathers who before ICSI would have had no or only minimal chances. We are looking forward to reports of this group’s success in the medical literature. Considering some of the technical difficulties surrounding this research, but even more so the many ethical and legal issues that will have to be resolved as part of this kind of research, it is reasonable to assume that it will take some time before potential clinical applications may be approached.
This is a part of the September 2019 CHR VOICE.
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.
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