They investigate the person responsible for the first case of human genetic modification

The university for which he works has suspended him and asked for explanations about the scope of his research. The Shenzhen City Medical Ethics Committee has also begun to internalize the case.

The Chinese scientist who announced the existence of the first genetically modified humans is in trouble. Jiankui He It had already been criticized by the scientific community, which remains extremely cautious in terms of practice and ethics as to the technique used. Now the university for which he works and a local medical ethics group have begun to investigate.

The Shenzhe University of Science and TechnologyWe were quick to take action and suspend our activities without payment to the scientist. He also issued a statement in which he stressed that what happened left the institution in shock and that the work of J & # 39; I This is a serious violation of ethics and codes of conduct of the academy.

According to the organization, his authorities were not aware of the project and its nature.

In addition to asking He for explanations, the university decided that an independent and international panel of experts would be in charge of the investigation. For its part, the Medical Ethics Committee of ShenZhen City will do a similar job.

Darren Saunders, the former director of the hospital in which the experiments were performed, said that he did not remember having given permission Jiankui He for these activities. "Experiments like this can pull back a field of research, science works under social license, scientists work within the boundaries defined by the concerns of a larger community, and when these limits are ignored, there is a risk of negative effects and understandable fears that could roll back this area for decades, "said Saunders.

Jiankui He he had announced with great enthusiasm the healthy birth of Lulu and Nana, two genetically modified twins during an in vitro fertilization process. The technique used for this task is known as CRISPR.

Coincidentally, the Second International Congress on Human Genome Publishing began in Hong Kong on Tuesday, November 27th. It is expected that J & # 39; I make an appearance at the event. We will have to see how he is received.

Important

The only confirmation regarding the case of the edition is still the statement of Jiankui He and the examinations of his working group. Although it is strange to think that this is ultimately a lie or an exaggeration, this possibility should not be ruled out.