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The controversial Chinese geneticist He Jiankui, at an international summit on the human genome at the University of Hong Kong in China, November 28, 2018. REUTERS / Stringer
A Chinese scientist who provoked a storm After claiming to have worked to create the first genetically modified babies in the world, ethic said Wednesday that she was proud of her work and had revealed that another pregnant volunteer could be part of his efforts.
He Jiankui, Associate Professor at SUSTech (University of Southern Science and Technology) in Shenzhen, China, spoke in front of a packed audience of people attending the Human Genome Summit held in Beijing. University of Hong Kong.
"In this case, I am proud," he said when he was interviewed by several colleagues at the conference.
When asked if there were any other modified genetic pregnancies as part of his experiments, he reported or said that there was another "possible" "Pregnancy and answered" yes "to a later question, namely whether it was a" chemical pregnancy "term used to miscarry in the first weeks of pregnancy.
It was not clear. whether the pregnancy is complete or not.
These human embryos were cultured for a few days in a laboratory after researchers used genetic modification technology to successfully repair a genetic mutation that causes heart disease. (Oregon Health & Science University / Associated Press)
"This study was sent to a scientific journal for review," said the scientist. He did not name the newspaper and claimed that his university was not aware of his experiences.
In videos posted on the Internet this week, He Jiankui said he used gene-modification technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to modify genes on the stage. embryo of twins born this month.
She said that gene modification would help protect girls from HIV infection, the virus that causes AIDS.
However, scientists and the Chinese government have themselves denounced the work that it claims to have accomplished, and a hospital related to its research suggested that its ethical approval had been falsified.
The moderator of the conference, Robin Lovell-Badge, said that the event organizers were not aware of the investigation until it was made public this week.
CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to cut and paste DNA, so this is a technology that increases the hope of finding a solution. genetic resources for diseases. However, its use raises concerns about safety and ethics.
The Chinese Society of Cell Biology strongly condemned Tuesday any application of gene editing on human embryos for reproductive purposes, and said that it was against the law. Medical ethics in China.
A microplate containing embryos injected with Cas9 protein and sgRNA PCSK9 was seen in a laboratory in Shenzhen on October 9th. (Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)
More than 100 scientists, mostly in China, said in an open letter Tuesday that the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology to edit human embryo genes was dangerous and unjustified. "The Pandora's box has been opened," they said.
The scientist, who has declared against the improvement of genes, said that eight couples were initially recruited for their study and that one of them had abandoned his plan of experiments. The required criterion was that the father was HIV-positive and the mother HIV-negative.
He also stated that all participants had a "good level of education" and that they had had two discussion discussions with him and his team.
] The consent form that he gave the partners mentioned multiple risks, but there was little detail about the potential complications of the gene editing process itself, and he only mentions not that this experience had never been done before.
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