Cathy Tie Makes the Case for Therapeutic Germline Gene Editing in New Trends in Genetics Paper
Origin Genomics Founder and CEO Argues Advances in Precision Genome Editing Have Created a Path Toward Preventing Severe Inherited Disease
Inherited disease today
NEW YORK, September 30, 2026 – Genetic diseases represent one of the largest areas of unmet need in medicine. More than 7,000 monogenic diseases have been identified and most have no treatment. These diseases include Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and certain hereditary cancers. Many begin at birth or create lifelong disease risk, imposing substantial health and economic burdens on patients, families and healthcare systems.
Gene therapy has demonstrated that genetic diseases can be treated at the level of DNA, but many of today’s genetic medicines treat disease after birth and can cost millions of dollars per patient.
The paper
In a new paper published today in Trends in Genetics, a Cell Press journal, Cathy Tie, founder and CEO of Origin Genomics, argues for moving genetic medicine to an even earlier point of intervention: preventing severe inherited disease by correcting disease-causing mutations at the embryo stage.
The paper, “No bird soars in a calm: therapeutic germline gene editing,” argues that the technological landscape has changed significantly since the international debate over human germline editing began nearly a decade ago. Advances in next-generation gene editors, particularly base editing, have created tools capable of making precise changes to DNA without the double-strand breaks associated with earlier CRISPR-Cas9 approaches.
A path forward
“For years, the conversation around germline gene editing has understandably focused on the risks of intervening,” said Tie. “But the science has continued to advance, and we now have tools that are far more precise than those available when this debate began. We need to evaluate where the technology stands today and ask whether there is a responsible path forward for using it to prevent devastating inherited diseases.”
Tie calls for a new scientific and regulatory framework for therapeutic germline gene editing, beginning with severe monogenic diseases and supported by rigorous preclinical research and independent oversight. She points to the United Kingdom’s regulation of mitochondrial replacement therapy as a precedent for specialized oversight of reproductive genomic technologies.
About Origin Genomics
The paper outlines the scientific thesis behind Origin Genomics, a New York-based biotechnology company developing genomic correction technologies to prevent severe inherited disease. Origin is conducting preclinical research using patient-derived cells and human embryos to evaluate the safety, precision and efficiency of next-generation gene editors.
About Cathy Tie
Cathy Tie is the founder and CEO of Origin Genomics and serves on the board of directors of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Association. Her paper, “No bird soars in a calm: therapeutic germline gene editing,” is published in Trends in Genetics.