Chinese researcher claims his first genetically modified babies

Lulu and Nana, twin girls, were the first genetically modified babies born in China. Babies are protected against HIV infection that causes AIDS through genetic intervention.

The DNA of Lulu and Nana changed during fertilization during a controversial experiment. Jiankui He from the South China University of Science and Technology in Shenzen led the experiment. In an interview with the Associated Press (AP) news agency, he said Monday that the experiment conducted earlier in the month had resulted in the birth of healthy twins.

He says that he placed genetically engineered embryos in the uterus with seven volunteers and that this led to a full term pregnancy for a couple. This has not yet been confirmed by independent sources, and this has not been described in a scientific publication.

Scientists around the world react in a surprise and shocked manner to He's announcement. It is striking that the university where he works, the Southern University of Science and Technology, is at some distance from the experiments. The research would have taken place outside the university. According to the university, it would be a "leave without pay" since last February.

In many forbidden countries

In China, geneticists have already modified the DNA of human embryos. But these tests were limited to the laboratory, never a child was born. In most countries, including the Netherlands, genetic manipulation of embryos is prohibited.

He made his story in the perspective of the international congress on the human genome organized this week in Hong Kong. Scientists around the world have reacted with surprise, disapproval or consent. Feng Zhang, one of the founders of Harvard University's crispr-case technology, pleaded in response to the announcement of a moratorium on the birth of genetically-adapted babies. Geneticist George Church, also from Harvard University, believes the trial is "justifiable" because HIV is "a major and growing threat to public health". "I'm shocked that it's going so fast," said Christine Mummery, a development professor at the University of Leiden, "this has the same impact as the unveiling of the clone sheep Dolly." made. Foto Mark Schiefelbein / AP

Researcher He posted a series of remarkable videos on Youtube on Monday, in which he explains that his experience went off without a hitch. He calls "genetic surgery" this way of fighting against HIV infection.

He relies on the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017 to declare that the prevention of infectious diseases is "an ethical application of gene editing". The protocol recorded in the Chinese register of clinical trials shows that he was looking for married couples eager for the experience, whose husband was infected with HIV. During the IVF procedure, instruction regarding gene change was injected into the egg cell at the same time as the sperm

. The gene change was performed using the crispr-case technique. He cut a piece of the CCR5 gene. This gene contains information for a receptor molecule on the cell surface that HIV must enter. People with a certain mutation in this molecule are immune to HIV without being further disadvantaged by it. He artificially applied this same mutation in the CCR5 gene

According to He, DNA analysis revealed that only the desired CCR5 gene was modified by the genetic procedure during the IVF procedure.

Interview of the day

"This news is remarkable in every respect," says Maastricht Professor of Bioethics Guido de Wert, on the phone from Hong Kong where he is speaking at the congress on human genetics. It's the talk of the day, but there is not much information yet.

De Wert is suspicious of the way it is published. "It is strange that the researcher is looking for advertising on the eve of this important congress, apparently he has worked on this research in isolation, we do not know if his information is reliable, we have seen previously that unknown scientists have suddenly made great claims about human cloning.This turned out to be an excellent speech afterwards.I hope we will hear more at Congress tomorrow. "

" That sounds like action of a cowboy, "says Biomedical Ethics Professor Annelien Bredenoord of the University of Utrecht. She did not go to Hong Kong on maternity leave and so "unfortunately". "Whether the story is true or not, it is disturbing that a researcher is working in this way." He seems to want to get the scoop as soon as possible. experience should not be decided by one person, but should be an integral part of the international discussion. "

It is remarkable that he did not first conduct a further investigation into technology security. done, De Wert also finds. And why did he not discuss his opportunity beforehand, he wondered; "At the international level, the dominant position is that we should not begin genetic manipulation of babies at all.This would be irresponsible and therefore undesirable."

De Wert and Bredenoord are in fact in favor of the baby. use of risks for the repair of a serious hereditary disease, provided that a sufficient number of safety research work has been carried out in advance. "But it's not a cure for an inherited disorder," notes De Wert. "Making a genetic change to create immunity against HIV seems more to improve the genetic perfection of man.We should think very critically about this: from what how do we want to take genetic measures? "