H2R Research Colloquium: «Gene Editing» with Davide Battisti

Reproductive genome editing is a not-yet-available and still hypothetical procedure that applies genome editing technologies in human embryos created through in vitro fertilization before uterine transfer, with the aim of preventing the transmission of heritable genetic conditions.

Recent preprint research by Jerabek et al. (2026), reporting major advances in precision embryo editing, has reignited scientific and public debate on the future of genome editing in human reproduction. While these findings may suggest important progress towards increasing the precision of genome editing in human embryos, they also underscore the need for a careful interdisciplinary assessment of the scientific, clinical, ethical, and societal implications of this emerging technology.

Some scholars argue that reproductive genome editing could in the future fundamentally reshape human reproduction, transforming it from a process largely determined by chance into one increasingly influenced by deliberate biomedical intervention. Others maintain that substantial technical limitations, safety concerns, and questions regarding clinical utility and cost-effectiveness make its implementation in reproductive medicine unlikely.

To foster a broad and pluralistic discussion of these issues, the H2R Colloquium will host four talks looking at the same problem from different angles.

• Prof. Gerald Schwank (SP4) will present the current state of the science and the remaining technical challenges of germline genome editing.
• Prof. Tommaso Cavazza (SP4) will examine the feasibility of reproductive applications and discuss the major biological and translational bottlenecks.
• Dr. Davide Battisti (SP4) will analyse the principal ethical questions raised by reproductive genome editing.
• Anina Meier (SP3) will explore the social dimensions of the debate, focusing on public perceptions of the possible clinical applications of reproductive genome editing.

The colloquium aims to offer the H2R consortium a first opportunity to critically engage with one of the most prominent procedures discussed in the debate on the future of human reproduction.