More information about the CRISPR scandal: could babies have a modified intelligence? Has the government funded the research?

More and more information came from China on the two babies born after He Jiankui's experiment using CRISPR to make children resistant to HIV while they were still embryos. At present, some evidence suggests that both infants may develop genetically improved brains.

According to some information, the technique used to protect children from HIV, a disorder of their father, will also enable them to become smarter than their peers. According to a report published by the United Kingdom Express, Alcino J. Silva, a neurobiologist at the University of California, said the experiment would likely affect the children's brains. Citing an interview granted by Silva Review of MIT technology last week the Express indicated that the CRISPR process would likely have an impact on the cognitive function of children. Silva was quick to point out that his prediction was purely speculative and was based on evidence from mouse models that the same technique used on twins made treatment mice smarter than their peers.

"The work on mice shows that the answer can be positive, but mice are not people. We simply do not know what the consequences of our relationship with humans will be. We are not yet ready for this, "said Silva in an interview with the MIT publication, according to the Express.

It was only a few months ago that Jiankui announced to the world that he had used CRISPR to modify the embryos of seven couples to make them resistant to HIV. After the announcement, researchers from around the world responded that Jiankui's experience was contrary to ethics and "monstrous,"All the more so as it is unclear how these changes could be passed on to future generations of children.

In January, the Chinese government took action against Jiankui. The government said the scientist had been transferred to the public security authorities and that the people who participated in the experiment would be "severely treated in accordance with the law". In late January, the Chinese government said that the establishment of these types of embryos was illegal to the extent possible. and added that Jiankui had forged an ethical review in order to begin his experience. The Chinese Ministry of Science said that it "resolutely opposed the Jiankui experiment and would work to" improve the laws and regulations in force and the system of ethical review of scientific research. "

However, since the Chinese government made these assertions, there are suggestions that the government of this country may have actually provided funding for Jiankui's research. This morning, STAT News reported that some documents reviewed showed that there were at least three government agencies in China, including its science ministry, that would have provided funds for the experiment. According to STST In the report, the documents reviewed included a slide presentation prepared by the Jiankui team, Chinese-language patient consent forms, and the China Clinical Trial Registry. These documents list the sources of funding for the experience including "the Ministry of Science and Technology; Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, part of the municipal government; and Southern University of Science and Technology, where he worked. "

Although funding can come from these agencies, STAT noted that it was unclear whether Chinese government organizations knew exactly how this funding would be used. The world has widely condemned Jiankui for his experience and two weeks ago, the World Health Organization announced its intention to form an advisory committee develop global standards for governance and monitoring of human genome editing.