The ISSCR is aware of reports that scientists in China have used CRISPR-mediated genome editing during in vitro fertilization to modify the genetic material of two embryos that were subsequently implanted into a patient, leading to the birth of two babies. As ISSCR and a number of other organizations have previously stated, the use of nuclear genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR, during fertility treatment is premature and should not be attempted at this time. The safety risks associated with potential unintended genetic changes in embryos remain uncertain.

In a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the ISSCR commented on proposed industry guidance for "Civil Money Penalties Relating to the ClinicalTrials.gov Data Bank." 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to StemGenex of San Diego after an investigation found its cellular therapy does not conform with good manufacturing practice requirements, is being illegally marketed to treat conditions for which it has not been proven safe or effective, and is putting patients at risk…

In mid-September, the U.S. Senate debated and passed a spending bill that included an increase in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill did not include a ban on federal funding for fetal tissue research, a measure the ISSCR opposed in a letter to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, signed by 64 organizations.

The ISSCR is troubled by the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to “conduct a comprehensive review of all fetal tissue research.” The directive appears to come after intensive lobbying efforts by special interest groups with the goals of delaying or curtailing scientific research that relies on fetal tissue. Fetal tissue research has been necessary for the development of vaccines and therapies that have saved millions of lives, and continues to be important for the future of medicine. Decisions about how best to conduct research and to advance human health should be based on science and medicine, not ideology or politics.