Gene editing embryos: Crypto billionaire Brian Armstrong funding ethically controversial project

Brian Armstrong, the billionaire CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, says he’s ready to fund a US startup focused on gene-editing human embryos. If he goes forward, it would be the first major commercial investment in one of medicine’s most fraught ideas.

Armstrong announced he was looking for gene-editing scientists and bioinformatics specialists to form a founding team for an “embryo editing” effort targeting an unmet medical need, such as a genetic disease.

Because of how rapidly gene editing is advancing, [Lucas] Harrington has … criticized bans and moratoria on the technology. These can’t stop it from being applied but, he says, can drive it into “the shadows,” where it might be used less safely.

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By contrast, Armstrong’s public declaration represents a more transparent approach. … [Dieter] Egli, who hopes the Coinbase CEO might fund some research at his lab [says,] “I think it’s very good he posted publicly, because you can feel the temperature, see what reaction you get, and you stimulate the public conversation.”

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