{"id":2683,"date":"2019-05-22T10:03:42","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T10:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/china-deliberates-stricter-regulations-on-human-gene-studies\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T06:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:35:13","slug":"china-deliberates-stricter-regulations-on-human-gene-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/china-deliberates-stricter-regulations-on-human-gene-studies","title":{"rendered":"China deliberates stricter regulations on human gene studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

In November 2018, Chinese researcher Jiankui He\u2019s announced the birth of the world\u2019s first genetically edited babies<\/a> using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tool. This announcement was followed by an outcry from Chinese as well as international researchers. Now Chinese legislators are planning to implement a new set of regulations on gene editing in humans. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In China, the civil code is the overarching law governing non-criminal disputes concerning personal rights of citizens. In order to tighten the rules around human genome editing, the legislators in China are set to include a new clause in the \u201cpersonality rights\u201d section of the civil code. As per the new clause, researchers conducting studies related to human genes or embryos will have to \u201cabide by laws, administrative rules and relevant regulations<\/a>.\u201d It should be ensured that the participants\u2019 health remains unaffected and their moral rights are protected.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, four prominent bioethicists from China wrote an article<\/a> in Nature<\/i> where they emphasized the need for the Chinese government to \u201cmake substantial changes to protect others from the potential effects of reckless human experimentation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is the first time definitive steps have been taken to regulate genome studies in China. “It is necessary to emphasize regulation of medical or scientific studies related to human genetic information in the civil code, which is considered the most fundamental privacy for all citizens<\/a>,” said Liu Changqiu, a health law expert and research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Standing Committee of the National People\u2019s Congress \u2013 the chief legislative body in the country \u2013 received the latest civil code draft with the regulations around human gene studies last month. It is likely that the draft will be passed and adopted in the next year. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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