The commercialization of human embryo gene editing persists despite the closure of two early ventures. Bootstrap Bio and Manhattan Genomics shut down within the past year due to funding failures and founder disputes, neither achieving a scientific breakthrough. However, investment continues to flow into the controversial field.
Preventive, a San Francisco-based start-up, raised nearly $30 million last year from investors including Open AI chief Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Nucleus Genomics, backed by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, funds academic research toward commercialization. Cathy Tie, co-founder of the defunct Manhattan Genomics, launched Origin Genomics just months later, aiming to alter embryo DNA to prevent genetic disease and potentially influence traits like intelligence.
This prospect has made germline gene editing scientifically and ethically contentious. Critics fear commercialization could shift from treating disease to engineering desirable traits. Bootstrap Bio's founder Chase Denecke cited a lack of funding for the shutdown, while his former chief science officer Qichen Yuan was arrested for attempted sex trafficking.
Manhattan Genomics folded after a dispute over business location, returning all investor capital. The field remains under intense scrutiny following Chinese scientist He Jiankui's 2018 announcement of gene-edited babies, which led to his three-year imprisonment. Last year, therapy groups proposed a 10-year moratorium on heritable human genome editing, warning of a slippery slope toward eugenics.
Scientists remain divided on the real motivations behind the technology's development.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing