Responsible Use of Technology

As the fields of gene and cell therapy develop and grow, it is crucial to encourage responsible uses of these technologies. ASGCT has made it a priority to support dialogue and exchange of ideas as new technologies prompt new questions about their use. Areas of engagement have included heritable genome editing and unproven stem cell clinics.

The Society issued a statement in 2018 outlining its position on heritable genome editing that ASGCT “considers it wholly unacceptable to use these technologies without extensive research into the safety and efficacy of such applications and the necessary approval by regulatory and government bodies.” ASGCT has also submitted feedback to organizations working on this issue, including the World Health Organization’s Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing and the International Commission on the Clinical Use of Human Germline Genome Editing.

Committee Involvement

The Ethics Committee supports ASGCT’s work on responsible, ethical use of technology. The committee creates programming at the annual Policy Summit and ASGCT Annual Meeting and has contributed to patient and public education materials about these topics:

• Germline gene editing

Partner Organizations

ASGCT has signed on to letters led by the International Society of Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) to condemn the provision of unproven, potentially dangerous stem cell procedures, and to support measures to protect patients from illegitimate providers.