Following He Jiankui’s ‘CRISPR babies’ scandal, leading scientists from seven countries have called for “a global moratorium on all clinical uses of human germline editing” — that is, changing DNA in sperm, eggs, or early embryos to make genetically altered children, alterations that would be passed on to future generations. They say a moratorium should be in place for at least five years.

Measures to reduce the impact pharmaceutical products have on the environment have been outlined by the European Commission, which has said medicines manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and health care professionals all have a role to play.

A Glasgow-based human tissue research company has partnered with Medicines Discovery Catapult to help accelerate drug development at UK biotechnology firms.

Reprocell, which supports stem cell research and pre-clinical drug trials, can provide live human tissue which is able to predict how drugs will behave in patients and whether they are likely to succeed in clinical trials.

The German government has committed €40m to the development of products that tackle the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. German officials put up the money as part of their decision to join US and UK authorities in the CARB-X partnership.

CARB-X, a global partnership against drug-resistant bacteria, is set to receive €39m of the German money, bringing the total amount committed to the group up to €480m. The commitment from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research will support four years of antibiotic, vaccine and diagnostic early development.

Researchers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center have discovered that dormant herpes viruses reactivate during spaceflight, leading to an urgent need to develop counter-measures, including vaccination, to ensure the success of deep-space missions.

Currently only vaccinations are available for varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, but three further varieties of herpes were detected in astronauts tested by the team: herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein–Barr virus.