[ad_1]
Originally published by Helen Roxburgh for AFP.
Beijing has ordered the opening of an investigation into the allegations of a Chinese scientist who would have created the world's first genetically modified babies, an initiative that would be a medical first, but which has sparked many critics.
The university professor, He Jiankui, posted a video on YouTube, explaining that the DNA of these twins, born a few weeks ago, had been modified to prevent them from contracting HIV, which provoked a heated debate within the scientific community.
While experts questioned the move and others described it as modern eugenics, the National Health Commission of China ordered an "immediate investigation" into the case, the Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. morning, citing a statement posted on the NHC website.
The professor, who studied at Stanford University in the United States and works in a laboratory in Shenzhen city, in southern China, said twins' DNA had been modified using CRISPR , a technique that allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with extreme precision.
This evolution appeared Sunday in an article published by the industrial journal MIT Technology Review, which refers to medical documents put online by the research team of He to recruit couples for the experiments.
He added that babies, called "Lulu" and "Nana", although they are not their real names, were born from regular IVF, but using a specially modified egg before they were born. to be inserted into the uterus.
"Just after sending her husband's sperm into her egg, an embryologist also sent the CRISPR / Cas9 protein and instructions to perform a gene surgery operation to protect girls from future HIV infection," she said. he declared.
Gene editing is a potential solution for inherited diseases, but it is extremely controversial because the changes would be pbaded on to future generations and could potentially affect the entire gene pool.
The MIT Technology Review warned that "technology is ethically charged."
The statements come ahead of a global expert conference in Hong Kong this week, where he is expected to speak on Wednesday and Thursday.
But there is still no independent verification of his claims, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal – an omission that the scientist's critics have seized.
"Dangerous, irresponsible"
The research has been sharply criticized by Chinese scientists and institutions. The university in which he works said that he had been on leave without pay since February and that his research was a "serious violation of ethics and academic standards."
"This research work was done by Professor He Jiankui outside of school," said Monday the University of Science and Technology South in a statement.
And a joint statement from a group of 100 scientists in China criticized the findings and called for better state legislation.
"This is a blow to the global reputation and development of biomedical research in China," said the statement released on the Weibo social media platform.
"This is extremely unfair to the vast majority of Chinese researchers who are diligent in scientific research and innovation."
Other scientists from around the world have also played a crucial role, with some claiming that a video on YouTube was not an effective way of announcing scientific results, while not surprising. others warned that exposing embryos and healthy children to genetic modification was irresponsible.
Professor Joyce Harper, Professor of Genetics and Human Embryology at UCL London, said: "Today's report on genome modification of human embryos for resistance HIV is premature, dangerous and irresponsible. "
History of fraud of Chinese researchers
The question of modifying human DNA is highly controversial and is only allowed in the United States for laboratory research – although US scientists last year reported successfully editing the genetic code for piglets to suppress dormant viral infections.
But this is not the first time that Chinese researchers have been experimenting with human embryo technology. Last September, scientists at Sun Yat-sen University used an adapted version of gene editing to correct a mutation causing disease in the human embryo.
There is also a history of fraud in the Chinese academic community, including a scandal last year that resulted in the removal of 100 "compromised" academic papers.
He Jiankui did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
The requests addressed to the organizers of the Hong Kong conference also did not answer the question and it is not known if they were aware of the work of He.
In a pre-recorded video on the conference website, biologist and international summit president David Baltimore said: "We have never done anything that can change the genes of the human race, nor anything that can have effects continue through the generations. "
[ad_2]
Source link
