Study Shows Chinese Genetically Modified Babies Have Significant Risk of Premature Death

When Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced last fall that he had modified the DNA of twin embryos to protect them from the AIDS virus, he was sentenced by scientists and bioethicists who warned of the dangers of gene editing.

"We're not even sure it's safe" Nicanor Austriaco, OP, professor of biology and theology at Providence College in Rhode Island, said in an interview with John Burger of Aleteia following the news that he had edited genes. "This scientist was allowed to experiment with children, using technology that was not yet considered safe," he added.

Now these dangers are more than just hypothetical.

He, who heads the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, said he used CRISPR-Cas9 during an in vitro fertilization procedure that resulted in the birth of binoculars in November 2018. This procedure was aimed at in the CCR5 gene that has been shown to prevent HIV infections.

A study published Monday in Nature Medicine, found that the specific genetic variation he was trying to recreate could dramatically shorten the lives of twins by making them more vulnerable to West Nile virus and influenza.

After badyzing more than 4,000 study participants, the researchers found that those carrying a gene mutation called CCR5 – the same variation, he said replicated in twin embryos – were about 21% less likely to live up to 75 years, reported NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO.

"What we found was that they had dramatically increased mortality," said Rasmus Nielsen, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley, who led the program. ;study.

"It's pretty substantial. We were quite surprised at the effect of this impact, "said Nielsen, who described the film as a" warning, "according to the NPR report.

According to an AP report, if researchers could not find the cause of death of those who died prematurely, an increased vulnerability to the flu could have played a major role.

In March, a group of 62 doctors, scientists and bioethicists called for a moratorium on experiments that modify human genes that can be pbaded on to future generations.

"While we recognize the great scientific progress represented by gene editing technologies and their potential value for a better understanding and possible treatment of human diseases, we firmly believe that the embryo edition giving rise to births poses serious problems for which there is no ethical or social consensus, "reads the letter from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.