[ad_1]
A scientist who defeated a conference in Hong Kong claiming to have created the first genetically modified babies in the world canceled a new conference and was heavily criticized by organizers on Thursday, who described him as irresponsible.
He Jiankui had said Wednesday at a busy biomedical conference that he was "proud" of having succeeded in altering the DNA of binoculars born to an HIV-positive father, a breakthrough apparent medical.
But the details of the experiment, which have not been independently verified, triggered an immediate reaction and he said the trial had been halted.
He was supposed to speak again at the summit on Thursday, but he disappeared from the program.
David Baltimore, Nobel laureate and chairman of the organizing committee, told reporters that it was his decision not to attend.
Organizers of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Modification denounced the "unplanned and deeply troubling" statement that human embryos have been modified and implanted, and called for closer monitoring of the field at the end of the conference Thursday.
"Even if the changes were verified, the procedure was irresponsible and did not comply with international standards," they said in a statement.
"His defects include inadequate medical indication, a poorly designed study protocol, non-compliance with ethical standards for protecting the welfare of research subjects, and a lack of transparency in the development, revision, and conducting clinical procedures, "he added.
University professor He, based in Shenzhen, southern China, said that the DNAs of these twins, born a few weeks ago, have been modified to prevent them from contracting HIV. Eight pairs of volunteers – HIV-positive fathers and HIV-negative mothers – enrolled in the trial, one of them having left school before the break.
He said that there had been "another potential pregnancy" involving a second couple, but it is not clear if this pregnancy is still going on.
Experts have warned that modifying human embryos can create unexpected mutations in other areas, called "untargeted effects," that can have an impact throughout life.
The University of Science and Technology of the South distances itself from He, claiming that he had been on leave without pay since February and had "seriously violated university ethics."
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.
Technology co-creator Jennifer Doudna said she was "horrified" to hear about her comments, adding that she was deeply concerned for those affected and wondered if they really understood the story. procedure.
The summit organizers said that germline genome modification could become "acceptable" in the future if rigorous criteria are met, including "strict and independent supervision".
However, they added that there were too many scientific and technical uncertainties to allow clinical trials at this stage.
AFP
Source link
