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He Jiankui, the Chinese researcher who claims to have created the first genetically modified babies, was suspended without pay from the Southern University of Science and Technology ( SUST), in Shenzhen. The scientist is now under investigation to determine if the experiment violated Chinese laws or regulations.
Last night, we reported on the Chinese secret project to produce babies whose genomes had been modified to make them resistant to HIV. Then, in the hours that followed, Jiankui released a video in which he claimed that the twins Lulu and Nana were in good health and were born "a few weeks ago".
The researcher stated that the girls were conceived using fertilization in vitro but that their team added "protein and information" to the fertilized eggs . It was a reference to the ingredients of CRISPR, the gene editing technology that apparently was used to eliminate a gene called CCR5.
Response of the scientific community
The experiment has caused much controversy as it would eliminate genetic diseases. it could also be used to conceive of human beings and establish a new form of eugenics. As a result, some scientists were surprised and strongly condemned the news.
"It's inconceivable … an experiment with humans that is not morally or ethically defensible," said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, an expert in genetic editing at the University of Pennsylvania and an author in head of a genetics journal.
] For his part, Fyodor Urnov, badociate director of the Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle (United States) reviewed the Chinese documents and stated that, although incomplete, they show that "this effort is aimed at producing a he also said" concerned about the fact that genetic publishing, a powerful and useful technique, was used in an environment where it was not necessary. "
Dr. Eric Topol, who directs The Scripps Translational Research Institute in California, said that it was" too early. "" We are dealing with instructions for use. " ;a human. It's very important, "he added.
Chinese Critics
Jiankui's colleagues followed this same line of thinking and the Shenzhen City Medical Ethics Board announced that it would open an investigation and issue a statement that says HorMoniCare "in accordance with our findings … has never made the appropriate reports in accordance with the requirements."
Similarly, the l & # 39; former medical director of the private hospital, Jiang Su-Qi, said Southern Capital News who did not remember having approved Jiankui's research when he sat on its ethics committee
"These two children are guinea pigs, they will follow their maturation process because they did not understand the Liu Yan, the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine of Peking University, said Liu Yan.
The president of Jiankui University called a meeting. researchers related to the project. "This has nothing to do with SUST, the investigation was not conducted on SUST and investigators are currently suspended without payment," said SUST President Chen Yi. According to the school's biology department, research "seriously violates ethical and academic rules and regulations."
By the way, a group of 122 Chinese academics and scientists issued a statement condemning the investigation and asking the authorities that establish a legal framework for editing genes. "This is a blow to the image and development of Chinese life sciences on the world stage," they said. "It is extremely unfair for many honest and sincere researchers to work to abide by moral practices in science."
Victor Román
This article was originally published in N + 1, which adds science .
About N + 1: This is the first online science and technology magazine that allows the total or partial reproduction of its content through communication, blogs and of influencers, mentioning the text and the Internet link: "This news was published in the magazine N + 1, a science that adds : www.nmas1.org".
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