Trust as a social basis for the development of human embryo genome editing technologies

Abstract

Trust is a prerequisite for the effective functioning of communities in various fields of human activity, but especially in medicine. The development of human embryo genome editing technologies, according to the developers, will provide the opportunity to create new forms of medical care for people suffering from severe genetically determined diseases. At the same time, there are serious risks of introducing into the genome random adverse changes that will be transmitted to descendants. It is assumed that the start of clinical trials of these technologies will be possible after proving their clinical relevance, safety and moral acceptability. Another necessary condition should be the attitude of trust towards experimenters, including transparency of research, public and legal accountability, responsibility to patients and their families for possible adverse consequences.