The World Health Organization (WHO) in February unveiled an expert advisory panel to oversee and provide guidance on human genome editing. The panel was convened in response to Chinese researcher Jiankui He’s announcement that he had edited the genomes of twin girls and the global outcry that followed (Nature 563, 7733, 2018). By setting up a committee with experts from around the globe, WHO will seek to advise and guide its members on the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing.

The 18-strong panel, made up of multinational and multidisciplinary experts, will be cochaired by Edwin Cameron, a judge on South Africa's Constitutional Court, and Margaret Hamburg, who is chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The group will work with other international bodies and national academies to promote transparency and ensure that research institutions carry out appropriate risk/benefit assessments before authorizing any human genome editing.

Similar efforts have already sprung up elsewhere. In Europe, researchers launched the Association for Responsible Research and Innovation in Genome Editing (ARRIGE), which aims to include a broad array of stakeholders in the discussion. At the same time, a pair of scholars proposed a gene editing observatory modeled on international networks that monitor climate change and human rights (Nat. Biotechnol. 36, 6, 2018).

Another view is that the gene editing community must police itself. According to an editorial in this journal: “Researchers have a responsibility to report rogue practitioners to regulators” (Nat. Biotechnol. 37, 1, 2019). National governments, too, are stepping up to regulate human genome editing. China’s National Health Commission in February announced draft regulations that put human genome editing under the authority of the State Council, the country’s national cabinet.