Ryan Knudson

In other words, genetically engineering a baby.

This was the idea that was on the table that night, along with the farm-to-table cuisine.

It was called the embryo editing dinner?

We asked Brian Armstrong for an interview, but through a representative, he declined.

But the topic of the conversation, to be clear, was should we edit an embryo or can we edit an embryo?

So one more big picture question before we dig into the details.

What's at stake here?

Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power.

I'm Ryan Knudson.

It's Friday, March 27th.

Coming up, one final story from the fringes of the fertility industry.

And this one is very fringe.

Today, Silicon Valley's quest to genetically engineer a baby

When it comes to reproductive technology, we are on the threshold of a new frontier.

Today's gene editing techniques allow scientists to cut, edit, and insert DNA with remarkable precision.

It's now possible to rewrite a child's genetic code before they're even born.

But while this has been technically possible for a while now, it's only known to have been done once, by one scientist.

prominent scientists denounced He.

He Jinghui was sentenced to three years in prison by Chinese authorities.

And today, many scientists and doctors remain convinced that embryo editing is not ready to unleash on the world.