China opens investigation into Chinese researcher's claim to create the world's first "genetically modified" baby

• The National Health Commission in China is investigating the claims of He Jiankui's first "genetically modified" world researcher.
  
• Organizations allegedly involved in the experiment claim no knowledge or involvement in the Jiankui experience.
  
• Even the university, where he claimed to use genetic modification technology, states that Jiankui had been on unpaid leave since February.
• Jiankui's research is not

The recent claim of a Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, to be the first to create "genetically modified" babies – called binoculars & nbsp; # 39; Lulu & # 39; and & # 39; Nana & # 39; – is
National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China.

Jiankui alleged that the embryos of girls had been modified to give them the advantage of allowing only a few naturally born people – the ability to resist any future infection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Such a discovery could be revolutionary for the medical community and the world. But many organizations involved, including one of the hospitals, deny any involvement in such an endeavor.

Jiankui claims to have used the CRISPR gene editing technology of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen to modify DNA during in vitro fertilization. The university, on the other hand,
says he knows nothing about such a research project and that he will launch his own investigation.

According to their records, Jiankui has been on leave without pay since February.

The experiment was the first
reported by the MIT Technology Review and the
Associated press on Sunday. It has not yet been published in a scientific journal and its data has also not been peer-reviewed – current practices to establish the authenticity of any scientific discovery.

Subject controversy


While the authenticity of the claim is under study, some experts from the scientific community
think that genetically modifying healthy embryos – gene therapy – could be a step in the right direction. Such an experience is likely to raise ethical concerns and to justify scientific misconduct.

A major concern seems to be that, as the process is still experimental, these "designer babies" could be
subject to untargeted mutations leading to a plethora of genetic problems, including increased susceptibility to cancer.

Experts in the International Bioethics Committee (IBC)
argue that gene therapy should only be applied in cases where the cause is "preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic and without modification of the offspring".

The modification of embryos could potentially lead to the release of the human germ line for non-medical purposes only, which would compromise "the inherent dignity of all human beings and hence their equality, and renew the human dignity." eugenics. "Editing the germline would imply that the mutation would affect every cell of the person and that same mutation would be pbaded on to his offspring.