Manipulating the genes of human beings in any form can make some people uneasy, even though the process can save lives. The work of the at OHSU in Portland works on the assumption that there is value in science correcting what nature got wrong.
But there are limits to what can be done by the scientists there, including a ban on federal funding for research involving genetically altered embryos.
Congress has kept that ban in place, to the chagrin of Center director Shoukhrat Mitalipov and Paula Amato, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine. They join us to talk about their work and the effects of the ban.