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Important doubts have emerged about the claims of a Chinese scientist that he would have contributed to the creation of the first genetically modified baby in the world.
According to Professor He Jiankui, the twin girls, born a few weeks ago, had their DNA modified as embryos to prevent them from contracting HIV.
His claims, filmed by the Associated Press, are unverified and have aroused the indignation of other scientists. , who called this idea monstrous.
This work is prohibited in most countries.
Future Generations
Gene editing could potentially help avoid hereditary diseases by removing or modifying the annoying coding in embryos.
And many countries, including the United Kingdom, have laws that prohibit the use of genome editing in embryos for badisted human reproduction.
Scientists can perform research on editing genes on rejected IVF embryos, as long as they are destroyed immediately afterwards and are no longer used to make a baby.
& # 39; Designer babies & # 39;
But Professor He, who was educated at Stanford in the United States and works in a lab located in Shenzhen, South China, he used gene editing tools to make two twin babies, called "Lulu" and "Nana".
In a video, he claims to have eliminated a gene called CCR5 to make girls resistant to HIV, if they ever came. in contact with the virus.
He says his job is to create children who would not suffer from diseases, rather than designing branded babies with custom color or high IQ.
"I think my work will be controversial – but I think families need this technology and I'm willing to accept criticism," he says in the video.
"Very treatable"
However, several organizations, including a hospital, denied any involvement in the case.
The Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announced that she was not aware of the research project and that she was going to open an investigation.
And Other Scientists say if the reports are true, Professor He went too far, experimenting on healthy embryos without justification.
Professor Robert Winston, Professor Emeritus of Fertility Studies and Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London, said: "It's all about 39, a false report, it is a scientific misconduct and a profound irresponsibility.
"If this is true, always misconduct scientist. "
Dr. Dusko Ilic, expert in stem cell science at King's College London, said:" If this can be described as ethical, its perception of ethics is very different from the rest of the world. "19659005] He argues that HIV is highly treatable and that if the infection is controlled with drugs, the parents are not at risk of transmitting it anyway.
Too risky
Professor Julian Savulescu An expert in ethics at Oxford University said, "If true, this is a monstrous experience, the embryos were healthy – no known disease."
"Gene editing itself is experimental and is still badociated with untargeted mutations, capable of causing genetic problems early and later in life, including the development of cancer.
"This experiment exposes healthy children to the risks of gene editing without much needed benefit."
Scientists say that editing a gene in a baby may be warranted one day, but that more controls and measures are needed before allowing it.
Dr. Yalda Jamshidi, expert in human genetics at St. George's, The University of London said: "We know very little about the long-term effects, and most people would agree that the experimentation on human beings for a preventable condition just to improve our knowledge is morally and ethically unacceptable.
"Whether the results stand up to scrutiny or not, we as a society need to think quickly and quickly about times and places where we are willing to take the risks inherent in any new therapeutic treatment, especially those that could affect future generations. "
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