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Chinese researcher He Jiankui
TA Chinese researcher, who claims to have created the first genetically modified babies in the world, revealed that his project was the second possible pregnancy, highlighting the dilemmas that Chinese leaders have to face when trying to control a nascent infant industry. to dominate genomics research around the world.
He Jiankui – the Shenzhen-based scientist who shocked the world this week by saying that he had modified the genes of the embryos to make them resistant to HIV – said the study was pending. The US-trained researcher spoke for the first time at a genetics conference in Hong Kong, where he sought to defend his work and was confronted with in-depth questions from his peers.
"I'm proud," he said about the birth of the twins, whom he said were born normal and healthy. He has not yet verified his claims and has not identified the topics of his experience. When it first appeared at the summit, participants, who included prominent gene editing researchers, had more questions than answers. He spoke softly and in a hesitant voice, and it was not clear whether the other "potential pregnancy" to which he referred was still viable.
The appearance of the scientist in Hong Kong failed to stifle the condemnation of the Chinese and world scientific community, which had mistreated him for doing illegal work in the United States and many other countries. His revelations sparked a heated debate over the ethical limits of genetic publishing and prompted calls for stricter regulation as the world feared that the world would come closer to producing baby designers.
"This is a really unacceptable development," said Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer in gene editing technology. "I do not think it's credible for a medical need. We struggle to understand the implications of this work. "
Yesterday, he said he submitted his work to a scientific journal for review, without identifying the publication. He also pointed out that he had informed couples participating in the study of the risks associated with the elimination of the CCR5-related gene, which he had suppressed in twins at the same time. using the powerful Crispr gene editing tool.
The question arises as to whether he took an unnecessary risk of modifying healthy embryos.
His work is now the subject of three investigations in China and calls for reputed Chinese scholars to punish him. A senior Chinese government official said his work was illegal.
On several occasions during the session, he seemed disconcerted by the profound ethical questions that were put to him. When asked if he had thought about how the procedure would affect girls in their dynamics with family, friends and romantic partners throughout their lives, he replied, "I do not know how to answer this question. helping people with genetic diseases is "compassionate".
William Hurlbut, senior research scientist in neurobiology at Stanford Medical School, said he was one of the ethics specialists he had consulted over the past two years. Hurlbut, who sat on the US president's bioethics council, said he knew he was "heading in that direction," but he did not know the scope of the project or the fact that it involved embryos. implanted. "I've challenged him at all levels and I do not approve of what he's done," Hurlbut said.
Nobel laureate David Baltimore, who also attended the conference on genetics, criticized the secret of He's work. "If he had been more open with what he was doing, it could have been part of a national or international discussion," he said. "I think he's acting irresponsibly."
He's affiliated institutions, including his university – the Southern University of Science and Technology – and the Shenzhen Hospital where he would have received ethical approval of the project, said he was unaware of his work. He said that the university was not aware of the lab's work.
Harmonicare Medical Holdings Ltd., owner of the Shenzhen Hospital, said in a statement on Tuesday that it believed the signatures on a request to the hospital's medical ethics board had been falsified, and that this committee was not had never met to consider He's proposal.
The Chinese scientific community, including several prominent research groups, has issued statements opposing Mr. He's work and calling them a blow to China's scientific reputation around the world.
On Tuesday, China's Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Xu Nanping, said in a press briefing that China had banned the use of gene editing for fertility purposes in 2003 .
Chinese law does not mention the use of Crispr, the revolutionary gene editing technique used by Il to modify the genetic code of twins. In contrast, the United States and many other countries have strictly restricted the use of Crispr in so-called germ line modification, which involves modifications that will affect the offspring of an original patient and is the type he would have performed in China.
The latest statement from the Chinese government, a paper published in 2017 by the Ministry of Science and Technology, only indicated that gene editing research involved high risks and required careful supervision.
In his presentation on Tuesday, Deputy Minister Xu alluded to the Chinese government's internal debates about how it should regulate burgeoning areas of research such as biotechnology and artificial intelligence. China wants to be a leader in 21st century technologies, but lax regulation may lead to cases like He's.
"We realize it's a double-edged sword. Sometimes we feel very anxious, "Xu said. "To be honest, on this issue, we still have not fully adjusted our thinking. We know there will be inconveniences, but we do not dare either – because there will be disadvantages – to avoid technologies or advances. " Bloomberg
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