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The organizers of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Publishing denounced He Jiankui's "unexpectedly and deeply troubling" claim that human embryos had been edited and implanted
A scientist who defeated a conference in Hong Kong claiming to have created the first genetically modified babies in the world canceled a new speech and was sharply criticized by organizers on Thursday, who described him as irresponsible.
He Jiankui had said Wednesday at a busy biomedical conference that he was "proud" of having succeeded in altering the DNA of binoculars born to an HIV-positive father, a breakthrough apparent medical.
But the details of the experiment, which have not been independently verified, triggered an immediate reaction and he said the trial had been halted.
He was supposed to speak again at the summit on Thursday, but he disappeared from the program.
David Baltimore, Nobel laureate and chairman of the organizing committee, told reporters that it was his decision not to attend.
The organizers of the second International Human Genome Summit have denounced it is "unexpected and deeply disturbing", claiming that human embryos had been edited and implanted, and called for closer monitoring of the field at the end of the conference, Thursday .
"Even if the changes were verified, the procedure was irresponsible and did not comply with international standards," they said in a statement.
"His defects include inadequate medical indication, a poorly designed study protocol, non-compliance with ethical standards for protecting the welfare of research subjects, and a lack of transparency in the development, revision, and conducting clinical procedures, "adds the text.
Graphic on the origins of the CRISPR / Cas9 genome editing technique.
University professor He, based in Shenzhen, in southern China, said the DNA of twin girls, born a few weeks ago, have been modified to prevent them from contracting HIV. Eight pairs of volunteers – HIV-positive fathers and HIV-negative mothers – enrolled in the trial, one of whom dropped out of school before the break.
He said that there had been "another potential pregnancy" involving a second couple, but it is not clear if this pregnancy is still going on.
Experts have warned that modifying human embryos can create unexpected mutations in other areas, called "untargeted effects," that can have an impact throughout life.
The University of Science and Technology of the South stands out from He, claiming that he had been on leave without pay since February and had "seriously violated academic ethics".
Trained at Stanford University, he explained that twins' DNA had been modified using CRISPR, a technique that allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with extreme precision.
Summary sheet on the development of the CRISPr gene modification technique. A Chinese scientist claimed to have created the first genetically modified baby of the word.
Technology co-creator, Jennifer Doudna, said she felt "horrified" to hear about His, adding that she felt deeply concerned for the people affected and wondered if they really understood the procedure.
Summit organizers said that germ line genome modification could become "acceptable" in the future if rigorous criteria were met, including "strict independent control".
However, they added that there were too many scientific and technical uncertainties to allow clinical trials at this stage.
Explore further:
The gene-modified baby trial is suspended: a Chinese scientist
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