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(Bloomberg) – The Chinese scientist who unleashed a violent reaction after claiming to have changed the genes of two newborn girls is a young stranger who believes the story will be on his side when the dust settles.
He Jiankui, a researcher from Shenzhen City, in southern China, said Monday that he had modified the genes of a pair of binoculars while they were embryos to try to make babies resistant to infection by the virus that causes AIDS.
An unknown gene-editing world that has crossed the boundaries of self-imposed ethical guidelines by the scientific community, will release the project data Wednesday at an international conference on genetics in Hong Kong, according to a representative . Even before publishing proof of results, he faces the condemnation of his university, other scientists and even a government official, who said that any gene modification for fertility purposes was illegal. . "I understand that my work will be controversial, but I think families this technology, and I'm willing to accept criticism of them," he said in a video posted on November 25 on YouTube.
The scientist, a football fan in his mid-thirties who did not respond to requests for comment, used a technology called Crispr, a tool now widely used for gene modification in research. He worked almost alone. His research team appears to be composed of another fully qualified scientist, embryologist Qin Jinzhou, who led gene surgery and in vitro fertilization, according to the YouTube video.
"We believe that ethics is on our side of the story," he said in another video described by ScienceNet.cn, a publication of China Science Daily, backed by the latest article. Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He is based in China at the Southern University of Science and Technology, or SUSTC, in Shenzhen, but has completed graduate and postgraduate training in the United States. He obtained a doctorate. at Rice University in Houston, then continued his research at Stanford University in California from 2011 to 2012 before returning to China, according to his biographical page on the SUSTC website.
In its background, it is unlikely to be controversial for a first human experiment in the world. In the United States, his earlier work was largely theoretical and focused on biophysics and computational genomics, according to published papers and an American researcher who had worked with him in the past. Computer genomics involves the use of powerful computer tools to study large amounts of DNA data, often far removed from clinical medicine.
One of his first academic papers on Crispr was published in 2010 by a physics journal and dealt with a theoretical model of how bacteria use gene editing to defend themselves. During his postdoctoral work at Stanford, his research was far removed from human experimentation and focused on computational genomics, according to the researcher, who described He as brilliant, ambitious, open and enterprising.
The Southern University of Science and Technology said in a statement posted on its website that it was "shocked" by news of its actions and that the researcher had been on leave without pay since February. He did not provide details on the reason for the leave.
Harmonicare Medical Holdings Ltd., the Shenzhen hospital operator listed in Hong Kong. He received approval from, said he had not participated in any clinical trial of genetically modified babies and that babies had not been delivered. A group of 122 Chinese scientists issued a joint statement in which he described his actions as "foolish" and called on the government to regulate its work.
At a press conference, a Chinese official said Tuesday that China had banned the use of gene editing for fertility purposes in 2003. The penalties for researchers who violate the rules are not clear. The National Health Commission of China has also asked the regional authorities to investigate his complaint.
Gene surgery is and should remain a healing technology. Improving the IQ of hair color or eyes is not what a loving parent does. This should be prohibited
He gained notoriety in China by designing fast and inexpensive gene sequencing machines through his new company Direct Genomics, based in Shenzhen. Sina.com, a well-established Chinese press publication, announced in April that Direct Genomics had received 218 million yuan ($ 31 million) in venture capital funds this month.
Last year, he was awarded a seat in China's prestigious "Thousand Talents" program – a government program designed to attract top researchers abroad with grants and research resources. The interviews and profiles published in recent years in the local media reveal an idealistic and motivated scientist who only switched to biology in his fourth year at university.
In the videos on YouTube, he describes what he thinks is the ethics of technology, including its use "only for serious diseases, never vanity" and "genes do not define you".
The genetic modification "is only intended to help a small number of families. For some children, early gene surgery may be the only way available to cure an inherited disease and prevent all life from suffering. We hope you will have pity on them, "he said in one of YouTube's videos.
The videos show a serious and determined man, explaining to the camera how he wanted to help families hit by the stigma of HIV. He condemned the non-medical use of gene editing tools, pointing out that such uses should be outlawed, as is the case in the United States and in the United States. other countries.
"Their parents do not want a designer baby, but simply a child who will not suffer from an illness that drugs now prevent," he said. "Gene surgery is and should remain a healing technology. Improving the IQ of hair color or eyes is not what a loving parent does. This should be prohibited. "
(Updates in the third paragraph with the planned release of He's data.)
– With the help of Stephanie Hoi-Nga Wong and K Oanh Ha.
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