The future of genetically modified babies may lie in the hands of Russian president Vladimir Putin,Bloomberg reported over the weekend.

Secret summit:According to Bloomberg, top Russian geneticists held a secret meeting this summer with government health officials in Moscow to debate a bid by a scientist there, Denis Rebrikov, to create babies genetically modified with the gene-editing technology CRISPR.

The first such children were born in China last year as part of a project to make HIV-resistant humans. That undertaking was halted amid pointed criticism of its ethical failings and a criminal investigation.

Putins choice:The question now is whether Russia will grab the CRISPR baton where China dropped it. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russias leader, declined to give Bloomberg a position, saying gene editing is not a presidential issue.

Putin has already made some comments about gene editing, likening the technology to a nuclear bomb and citing the possibility ofcreating soldiers who feel no pain. According to Bloomberg, Putin last year directed $2 billion to be spent on genetic research that he said will determine the future of the whole world.

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Will the future of CRISPR babies be decided by Russian president Vladimir Putin? - Genetic Literacy Project

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