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The Chinese government ordered the cessation of work by a medical team that claimed to have helped make the first baby in the world to be modified.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Xu Nanping told CCTV public television that his ministry strongly opposed efforts to produce binoculars earlier this month.
Mr. Xu called the actions of the team illegal and unacceptable and said that an investigation had been ordered.
Researcher He Jiankui claims to have altered the DNA of the twins to make them resistant to infection with the AIDS virus.
The mainstream scientists have condemned the experiment, and universities and government groups are conducting research.
There is no independent confirmation of what Mr. He says he did.
He said that a second pregnancy could be in progress.
Mr. He's experience "crossed the line of morality and ethics adhered to by the academic community and was shocking and unacceptable," said Mr. Xu.
A group of leading scientists gathered in Hong Kong this week for an international conference on gene editing, the opportunity to rewrite the code of life to try to correct or prevent disease.
Although science is promising to help those already born and ongoing studies are underway, a statement released today by the 14-member conference said it was irresponsible for the university to be in charge. try on eggs, sperm or embryos, except in the laboratory, because we do not know enough. still on its risks or safety.
The conference was shaken by the statement of the Chinese researcher who contributed to the creation of the first baby in the world to be edited by a gene.
The conference leaders called for an independent inquiry into the complaint of Mr. He, who spoke with the group on Wednesday as international criticism of his complaint escalated.
He was scheduled to speak again at the conference today, but he left Hong Kong and through a spokesman said, "I will stay in China, my country 's. 39, and I will cooperate fully with all requests concerning my work. My raw data will be made available to third parties. "
Several leading scientists said the case was a failure of the police on the ground and the need for stricter principles or regulations.
"It is not unreasonable to expect the scientific community to follow the guidelines," said David Baltimore, Nobel laureate of the California Institute of Technology, who led the panel.
Genetic editing for reproductive purposes could be considered in the future "but only when medical needs are compelling", with a clear understanding of the risks and benefits, as well as in certain other conditions, said Dr. Victor Dzau , President of the US National Academy of Medicine. sponsors of the conference.
"Failure to follow these guidelines would be irresponsible," he added.
The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the US National Academy of Sciences also sponsored this three-day conference.
– Press Association
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