EU policymakers look to WSU gene-editing expertise17 December 2024 17 December 2024 4 minute read 4 minute read By: By: Washington State UniversityWhen Jon Oatley spoke at a European conference on agricultural biotechnology, he was the only academic scientist in the room. Oatley, a Washington State University professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences, was invited by the US Embassy in Romania to speak about his research into gene-editing livestock. He also argued that gene-editing research already self-corrects for animal welfare because if it is not good for the animal it would hurt production. I’m a lobbyist for science — for science being used to inform policy decisions,” Oatley said. I work every day on gene-editing animals, and I can say exactly how I do it, the tools I use, and what the outcomes are.