300 million people worldwide are living with a rare disease. There are over 7,000 rare diseases, over 70 per cent of which are genetic and start in childhood.

One of the most contentious issues in science is the promise of treating genetic disease through modifying early-stage human embryos, referred to as heritable human genome editing.  While the practice is not explicitly permitted in any country, there is growing support for these restrictions to be lifted for research only, opening the possibility of clinical implementation on humans sometime in the future.

We are convening a panel with expertise in research, law and bioethics to discuss this issue, particularly since there is growing ambition among scientists and ethicists to remove restrictions to permit research on early-stage embryos. Our panel includes:

• Professor Dianne Nicol, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Tasmania, formerly Director of the Centre for Law and Genetics at the University of Tasmania.
• Professor Robert Sparrow, a Professor in the Philosophy Program at Monash University
• Professor Christopher Gyngell, Senior Research Fellow in Biomedical Ethics at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute
• Professor Megan Munsie, a developmental biologist who leads research programs into ethical, legal and social implications of stem cell research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Join us on Tuesday 4 April at 6.00pm (AEST) for this in person and free event as we consider the challenges posed by the convergence of technology and ethics.

This is a free event, however registration is required.