A study on babies modified by a gene is suspended: a scientist in China

The Chinese scientist who claims to have created the first genetically modified babies in the world said on Wednesday that the lawsuit was suspended, following an international outcry sparked by the highly controversial procedure.

He Jiankui defended his work in front of a packed Hong. Kong's biomedical conference, claiming that he had succeeded in altering the DNA of binoculars born to an HIV-positive father, an apparent first in the medical field.

He stated that there was "another potential pregnancy" involving a second couple, but that it was also agreed that it was a chemical pregnancy – a term for early miscarriage.

"I have to apologize, the result was leaked unexpectedly," he said of the apparent breakthrough. "The clinical trial was halted because of the current situation," he added.

He posted a video stating that the twin girls – born a few weeks ago – had their DNA modified to prevent them from contracting HIV.

debate within the scientific community, many people worried about the lack of verified data and the risks of exposing healthy embryos to gene editing.

The editing of human embryos can create unintentional mutations in other areas – what's called "off-target effects". Experts warned

But he went on stage Wednesday to justify his work and was bombarded with questions while he was telling the audience that parents were aware of the potential dangers when they have registered. .

"The volunteers were informed of the risk posed by the existence of a potentially off target target and decided to set up," he said.

He also stated that the university he was working in "was not aware of the results of the study."

The South University of Science and Technology, located in the southern city of Shenzhen, had distanced itself from He, claiming that he had been on leave without pay since February and had " seriously violated ethics and codes of conduct ".

The organizers of the second International Summit on the Human Genome Publishing, which opened on Tuesday, also said they were unaware of his brother's work.

The moderator of the conference, Robin Lovell-Badge, said that he was a "setback for the science industry". , but nevertheless described the babies' birth as "memorable".

"This is an example of an approach that was not sufficiently prudent and proportionate," he said.

"Clearly, it is nonetheless a historical point …. These two babies would seem to be the first genetically modified babies, so it's an important point in history."

The President Nobel Laureate, David Baltimore, said that there had been "a failure of self-regulation on the part of the scientific community due to a lack of transparency."

It states would be "considered irresponsible," said Baltimore.

Circumventing the Ethical Process
Himself, trained at Stanford University, explained that the DNA of the twins had been altered with the help of CRISPR, a technique to allow scientists to remove and replace

Gene editing is a potential solution for hereditary diseases, but it is extremely controversial because the changes would be pbaded on to future generations and could potentially affect the entire gene pool.

In many countries, the edition

Qiu Renzong, former vice chairman of the ethics committee of the Chinese Ministry of Health, told the press at the conference that lax regulations in China

The National Health Commission of China has ordered an "immediate investigation" on the case, reported the Xinhua official news agency, while the Shenzhen Hospital aimed to

A union of Chinese scientists issued a statement stating that it "resolutely opposes the so-called scientific research and applications of biotechnology that violate the spirit of science and ethics, "said Xinhua. This case has undermined China's international reputation in the field, said the Chinese Union of Life Sciences Societies.

This is not the first time that Chinese researchers are experimenting with the technology of the human embryo.

Last September, scientists from Sun Yat-sen University used an adapted version of gene editing to correct a mutation causing disease in human embryos

There are also some antecedents of fraud in the Chinese university community. – including a scandal last year that resulted in the withdrawal of 100 academic articles "Compromise".

A joint statement Monday from a group of 100 scientists in China criticized He Jiankui's claims and described them as "a big blow to the global reputation and development of biomedical research in China."

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