A summit on genetics holds its breath for the details of the Chinese edition

HONG KONG: The organizers of a conference that was turned upside down by revelations of retained gene developers hold their breath on what the controversial scientist at the center of the "breakthrough" will say when he enters the scene.

Chinese scientist He Jiankui is due to speak at the Hong Kong Biomedical Experts Summit on Wednesday, just days after reports that he has created the first genetically modified babies in the world.

In a video posted on YouTube, the university professor He said that the DNA of their twins, born a few weeks ago, had been modified to prevent them from contracting HIV.

This decision, which would be a medical priority if it were true, has sparked heated debate within the scientific community. Many worry about the lack of verified data and the exposure of embryos and healthy children to genetic modification.

The organizers of the second International Summit on the Review of the Human Genome, which opened on Tuesday, also seemed to ignore He's work.

David Baltimore, biologist and summit chairman, said AFP on the sidelines of the conference, he did not know "if (he is) reliable or not".

"I have not seen any research and I do not know what he intends to claim," Baltimore said.

The guest speakers were stormed by the press during the opening day, after the conference drew international attention on the back of revelations about the baby gene.

John Christodoulou, director of genomic medicine at the University of Melbourne, said it seemed that the research had "bypassed the usual ethical regulatory processes."

"But if what he's done is to modify human embryos and carry them through to birth … there is a real risk of unwanted effects," he said. -he adds.

"Technology can create mutations or break chromosomes in other areas, with the exception of the intended target."

Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner of the University of Sussex said AFP On Tuesday, "it will be very wise to make sure that this will not happen as a standard".

A graduate of Stanford University and working in a laboratory in Shenzhen city, in southern China, twin DNA has been modified using CRISPR, a technique that allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with extreme precision.

Gene editing is a potential solution for inherited diseases, but it is extremely controversial because the changes would be passed on to future generations and could potentially affect the entire gene pool.

"Immediate inquiry"

Qiu Renzong, former vice chairman of the ethics committee of the Chinese Ministry of Health, told reporters at the gene editing conference that loose regulations in China imply that scientists who breaking the rules are often not punished and think ".

He Jiankui is scheduled to participate in a round table on Wednesday and express Thursday on the development of moral principles and safety standards for the editing of human genes.

But as skeptical experts have questioned the announced breakthrough, his research has also been criticized on several other fronts.

The National Health Commission of China has ordered an "immediate investigation" into the case, announced the Xinhua According to a news agency, Shenzhen Hospital supposed to have approved the research program denied its participation.

The university in which he works also distanced himself, claiming he had been on leave without pay since February, and described his claims as "a serious violation of ethics and academic standards."

He did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.

The issue of editing human DNA is very controversial and in many countries it is tightly controlled.

But this is not the first time that Chinese researchers have been experimenting with human embryo technology.

Last September, scientists from Sun Yat-sen University used an adapted version of gene editing to correct a mutation causing disease in human embryos.

There is also a history of fraud in the Chinese academic community, including a scandal last year that resulted in the removal of 100 "compromised" academic papers.

A joint statement by a group of 100 scientists in China on Monday criticized He Jiankui's claims as "a major blow to the global reputation and development of biomedical research in China." – AFP