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Nearly sci-fi news arrives from China, particularly from the Jiankui He research group of the University of Shenzhen: two twins born (Lulu and Nana) genetically modified by the CRISPR technique, Reported the MIT Technology Review.
During experiments aimed at modifying the CCR5 gene, that is to say the one attacked by the HIV virus, the research group studied the possibility of modifying embryos created with IVF (Fertilization In Vitro) to immunize them against HIV, will make a "copy and paste" on the gene CCR5.
After having attended the pregnancy through visits and tests, the girls were born healthy, without HIV and, according to the scientist, without any other genetic variation.
The father was originally affected by HIV: this explains the experimentation of the research group on modification, with the aim of giving birth to girls with the certainty of not having HIV and to immunize them. against this disease (However, we remember that the transmission of HIV from father to child does not occur if it has not been pbaded directly to the mother).
Jiankui He reiterates that "parents do not want a child designer, but simply that their children do not suffer from a disease as difficult as HIV"Emphasizing that Genetic modification is not designed to modify elements such as eye color or hair, but to prevent health problems. In any case, He's research has not yet been independently verified or published in authoritative scientific journals. in short, we must wait before making big announcements.
This announcement was made at the door of the next international summit on the modification of the human genome, to be held tomorrow, November 27 in Hong Kong.
The theme is however very delicate. Three years ago, Chinese scientists were mentioned for their work on modifying human genes. Recently, in Japan and Britain, the green light has been given to experimentation on human embryos used to understand the processes of gene development and modification; in the rest of Europe, it is not allowed.
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