As he addressed an audience of virologists from China, Australia, and Singapore at October's Pandemic Research Alliance Symposium, Wei Zhao introduced an eye-catching idea.

Growing human organs inside pigs moved forward in labs, but not in Washington. That divide explains why gene-edited pig kidneys are now transplanted into people, while federally funded efforts to grow fully human organs inside pigs remain blocked.

The first successful gene-editing treatment for beta thalassaemia has been delivered at University College London Hospital (UCLH), marking a milestone for patients with the inherited blood disorder.