A First Look: Inside The Lab Where Scientists Are Editing DNA In Human Embryos
NPR gets exclusive access to a lab in Portland, Ore., where scientists have begun editing the DNA in human embryos to try to prevent genetic diseases.
From the thirteenth floor of a glass tower at the Oregon Health & Science University, you get a panoramic view of downtown Portland and the majestic mountains in the distance. But it's what's happening inside the building that's brought me here.
"Should we go do this thing?" lab manager Amy Koski asks.
She's just gotten a call from the fertility clinic three floors down. A woman undergoing in vitro fertilization has had her eggs extracted. One of the eggs is too immature to be used to try to create a baby, so she's donating it to research.
Koski grabs a small metal box and rushes to the elevator. It's her portable incubator.
"You want to keep the eggs very happy and warm," she says.
