Chinese scientist defends babies who modify genes while trial is suspended



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The conference moderator, Robin Lovell-Badge, said his lawsuit was a "step back" for the science industry, but he nonetheless described the birth of these babies as "memorable".

"This is an example of an approach that was not sufficiently prudent and proportionate," he said.

"Clearly though … it's an important point in history."

Nobel laureate David Baltimore, the summit's president, said there had been "a failure of self-regulation by the scientific community".

Antonio Regalado, editor of biomedicine for the MIT Technology Review – the publication that highlighted the trial on Sunday – said his speech was "a half-ethical disaster."

Trained at Stanford University, he explained that twins' DNA had been modified using CRISPR, a technique that allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with extreme precision.

But the co-inventor of CRISPR condemned He's trial as dangerous and useless.

"What worries me is that this experience really should not have happened," Feng Zhang told reporters at the conference. "What he did was not transparent … does not represent science."

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