A team of scientists from the United Kingdom said they are looking forward to attempt the direct editing of human genes in embryos. The team said if they will be granted permission it will be very first time when a national regulatory body would grant such a request.

Sources said that seeing the potentially incendiary nature of the request, it is very difficult that the UK scientists will be granted permission to start the research.

The people have different views and opinions on the topic. According to some, the research is ‘playing God’ and violating religious believes. The request for the research has come from Kathy Niakan, based in the new Francis Crick Institute, which is a USD 1.1 billion dollar biomedical research center.

Niakan said she is looking forward to edit human genes in order to gain fundamental insights into the early stages of human development. Her project would involve the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, which has proven to be one of the most effective and popular ways to edit genomes.

A Chinese team earlier used the CRISPR system to modify genomes in human embryos. Researchers in it attempted to modify the genes causing a blood disorder called ß-thalassaemia. The work attracted lots of criticism and stirred up a lot of controversies despite the fact that they used non-viable embryos.

In the UK, editing human genes in embryos for therapeutic use is considered illegal, even in spite of the fact that such research could lead to the eradication of genetic diseases.

The research is possible only if the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) grants permission.