Genetic manipulation: the Chinese scientist defends himself and says that there is another possible pregnancy – 11/28/2018

Chinese scientist He Jiankui today defended the work that led to the birth of the first genetically modified babies, a case with profound medical and ethical implications that has been strongly rejected by the global scientific community. And he announced that a second pregnancy was underway and that he would "pause" in his clinical trials.

He Jiankui, a 34-year-old badociate professor in Shenzhen, also revealed another possible pregnancy in his first public statements about his controversial work at an international conference in Hong Kong.

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I said that modified the DNA of two twins born earlier this month to try to immunize them against the HIV virus. The scientific community has condemned the experience, and universities and government groups are studying the situation.

The second possible pregnancy is in a very early phase and it takes longer to confirm whether it will continue, he said.

After he spoke, some great scientists said that now there are more reasons than ever to be worried and more questions than answers. The director of the conference called the experience "irresponsible", noting that it was evidence that the scientific community had failed to self-regulate and avoid early efforts to modify DNA.

Modification of DNA before or at the time of conception is a highly controversial issue, as modifications can be inherited and can damage other genes. This practice is prohibited in some countries, including the United States, except in the case of laboratory research.

I've defended her choice of HIV instead of a deadly conbad disease to try genetic publishing, and I've insisted that girls can benefit from it. "They need this protection because there is no vaccine available," said the researcher. But scientists have not approved their approach.

At a medical conference held Wednesday in Hong Kong in a crowded amphitheater, He Jiankui reiterated that he had authorized the birth of twins whose DNA had been altered to make them resistant to the AIDS virus .

He also explained that eight couples, all trained of an HIV positive father and an HIV-negative mother, had volunteered for the trial but that one of them did not. 39 was withdrawn.

"I apologize, the result was leaked unexpectedly," said He Jiankui, referring to videos posted on YouTube on Sunday in which he announced the birth of the twins named Lulu and Nana.

"There is an interruption of clinical trials due to the current situation", added the scientist, who runs a laboratory in Shenzhen.

"It's a really unacceptable stepsaid Jennifer Doudna, a scientist at the University of California at Berkeley and one of the inventors of the CRISPR gene editing tool he used, I'm grateful to have appeared today, but I do not think we've heard the answers, understand the motivation for that. "

For the moment, there is no independent confirmation of the affirmation of Him, who He has not yet published his research in any scientific journal. where it can be tested by experts. During the conference, he refused to answer many questions, including who paid for the work, how he ensured that participants understood the risks and possible benefits and why he kept his work secret until his completion.

Regulators rushed to condemn the experiment, the caller contrary to the ethical and unscientific.

The National Health Commission of China has ordered local authorities in Guangdong Province to investigate He's actions. The center for which he works, the University of Science and Technology of the South, is also studying what has happened.