CRISPR modified Chinese babies may face shorter life expectancy

Last November, China introduced to the world Lulu and Nana, the first genetically modified humans to be born. Lulu and Nana have changed the genes that immunize them against HIV. However, a genome study at the University of California, Berkeley, showed that there could be a cost.

A team from the South Shenzhen University of Science and Technology, led by researcher Jiankui He, Last year, we used the emerging CRISPR gene modification tool disable the CCR5 gene that, according to the team, would lead to immunity against the human immunodeficiency virus.

However, a study by UC Berkeley on 400,000 deaths and DNA records from the British Biobank revealed that people with inactive CCR5 genes had lower life expectancy than those with active CCR5 genes. UC Berkeley estimated a "21% increase in mortality at the end of life" and a "significantly higher mortality rate" between 41 and 78 years for the previous group.

A previous study found that while deactivation of CCR5 genes may reduce susceptibility to HIV, it increases up to four times the sensitivity to influenza.

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"[CCR5] It is a functional protein that we know has an effect on the body and is well preserved among many species. It is therefore likely that a mutation that destroys the protein is on average not good for you, "said one senior author. from the study, Rasmus Nielsen. "Otherwise, the evolutionary mechanisms would have destroyed it a long time ago."

CRISPR is a gene modification tool developed in 2012 that promises to reshape the field of gene editing forever. Often described as "a pair of molecular scissors," CRISPR is widely regarded as the most accurate, cost-effective, and fastest way to edit genes. Its potential applications are far reaching, affecting conservation, agriculture, drug development and how we could fight genetic diseases. This could even alter the entire genetic pool of a species.

In a video posted on his laboratory's YouTube channel last November, he described in detail the monumental breakthrough in gene editing, claiming that the twin girls "entered this world as healthy as the rest of the world. babies "and that gene editing had worked safely. the CCR5 gene. According to the Associated Press, the research team has genetically modified the embryos of seven couples, including one that has resulted in a pregnancy so far.

Chinese scientists have already been denounced for their work in the field of editing the human genome. In 2015, Guangzhou researchers announced that they have (mainly) succeeded in editing embryos. In 2016, the UK has given the green light to use CRISPR and edit given human embryos to better understand development processes. Japan did the same thing in October of this year. However, ethical concerns remain as to the use of technology and some countries prohibit it completely.

"Beyond the many ethical issues related to CRISPR babies, the fact is that now, with current knowledge, it is still very dangerous to try to introduce mutations without knowing the full effect of this. that these mutations do, "said Nielsen. "In this case, it's probably not a mutation that most people would like to have, you're actually, on average, less well off."