Chinese doctor defends "gene-modified babies"

A Chinese scientist, who claims to have created the first genetically modified babies in the world, said Wednesday at a conference that his actions were safe and ethical, and he was proud of what he said. He did. But many other scientists seemed very skeptical, an organizer of the conference calling his actions irresponsible.

"For this particular case, I am proud, in fact," said scientist He Jiankui at an international conference on genome modification in Hong Kong.

Indeed, the only thing he apologizes for is that the news had "leaked unexpectedly" that he had used the Crispr gene modification technique to modify embryos, then implanted them in the belly. of a woman who had given birth to twins.

According to a report from the AP, he stated that a second pregnancy could be in progress. The second pregnancy is at a very early stage and needs more time to be monitored to determine if it will last, he said.

The announcement of its edition of the embryo on Monday caused love at first sight in the scientific world. Scientists strive to avoid such a disordered use of rapidly evolving technology to modify human DNA

. Dozens of scientists – including many genetics experts gathered in Hong Kong – have described He's behavior as unethical. They say that there are serious unanswered questions about the safety of embryo editing and the need to ensure that such research is conducted in a transparent and monitored manner so that the technology is not misused. And his presentation Wednesday afternoon did not seem to allay the concerns of many of his colleagues.

Immediately after his presentation, Nobel laureate David Baltimore, who headed the organizing committee of the conference, told the audience that what he had done considered irresponsible.

Baltimore added, "I do not think it is a transparent process. We only learned about it afterwards, and even after the birth of the children. Personally, I do not think it was medically necessary.

Robin Lovell-Badge, Professor of Genetics and Embryology at the Francis Crick Institute in London who facilitated the session, asked a question that was of great concern to many participants. . "Why so many secrets around this, especially when you know that the scientific community is convinced that we should not go ahead yet?", He asked. "You now know that the accusation is that you broke the law. If you had involved the Chinese authorities, they might have said you could not do it. "

When he, 34, went on stage with an open-neck shirt and beige briefcase, it was clear that it would not be an ordinary lecture. presentation. Although his appearance was scheduled before, Lovell-Badge stated that he "had previously sent me the slides that he was going to show in this presentation and that he did not understand anything of what he was going to speak today.

auditorium crowded with scientists and media representatives, he also acknowledged that he had not informed his university in China of the research he was leading.

But he claimed that he was not overly secretive about his work, claiming that he had presented the preliminary aspects at conferences and consulted with scientists in the United States and elsewhere. He stated that he had submitted his research to a scientific journal for review and did not expect to present it at this conference.

He also insisted that the parents of the twins and seven other couples who participated in his research be fully informed.

Xu Nanping, China's deputy minister of science and technology, said on Tuesday that the Chinese government had issued regulations in 2003 authorizing experiments on genetic modification of embryos. for research purposes, but only if they remain viable 14 days maximum, according to state broadcaster China Central Television. If the Chinese authorities confirm the birth of babies, it would be a violation of the regulations in force, said Xu.

(NYT)