Apparently the first genetically manipulated babies born in China

Thus, the intervention on embryos with the Crispr / Cas9 method still very young aimed to make children resistant to HIV. There is no certified scientific publication on the procedure, just an entry in a Chinese registry for clinical trials. There was also no confirmation from other sources.

China wants to show leadership in life sciences

In Germany, the United States and many other countries, such manipulations of human genetic material are prohibited because the resulting risks are difficult to badess and the changes are pbaded on to future generations. There are apparently fewer ethical concerns in China. "The Chinese Academy of Sciences does not seem to have at least discovered the research," said Peter Dabrock, chairman of the German Council of Ethics, "it is reasonable to think that the goal is also to demonstrate the leadership of the Chinese in the field. life sciences. "

Board of Ethics: late and secondary effects are not yet predictable

"Experiences are irresponsible human experiences," he said, "whether true or not, says the Chinese researcher, he says: At the moment, such attempts and announcements must be strongly criticized ". According to the almost unanimous opinion of experts, basic research on Crispr / Cas is still far from being used in humans. "Side and late effects are still unpredictable and difficult to control." The future of genetically modified children is completely uncertain.

According to an entry in a Chinese registry, the Chinese team involuntarily prompted childless couples, healthy mothers and HIV-infected fathers to join the experiments. By artificial insemination, many embryos have been created, whose genetic material has been modified with the aid of the Crispr / Cas9 gene scissors, used only in the laboratory since 2012.

According to the entry, the researchers around He were targeting the so-called CCR5 receptor gene, to which the HI viruses bind for infection of the cell. People without functional CCR5 protein are not infected with the virus – a famous example is the "Berlin patient" Timothy Ray Brown.

"It was not a therapy"

Protecting children from possible HIV infection by their parents was not the motivation – there are other simple, low-risk ways. "The procedure is not comparable to a vaccine designed to provide high levels of protection," explained Dabrock, adding that one of the twins had already shown in the petri dish that the manipulation had failed, but that both embryos had been implanted. "It also proves that he (He Jiankui) is not concerned with any therapy or therapeutic attempt."

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He is aware that his work will trigger discussions, he explains in his video message. "But I think families need this technique." He was not interested in creating children whose IQ could be increased and the color of their hair and eyes selected, he said. "Genetic changes must remain an instrument of healing" not a designer baby, just a baby who is not affected by the disease. "

One thing is clear: he holds several patents for techniques to modify genetic material; tangible financial interests should therefore be at least part of his motivation. The researcher studied at Rice and Stanford Universities in the United States before returning to his home country and taking charge of managing a laboratory at the Southern University of Science in Shenzhen City. , in southern China. According to the official Chinese media, he also owns a company specializing in genetic testing equipment.

The University of Shenzhen, where he conducts research, on Monday dismissed any knowledge of his experiences. According to a statement posted on the university's website, "we are deeply shocked". According to him, the research was conducted outside of the university and he did not teach his work in college, "seriously" against ethics and academic standards. A panel was instructed to conduct a thorough investigation into the case. (AP)