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He Jiankui and his team at the Southern University of Science and Technology (Shenzhen), in China controversy within the scientific community after declaring that it succeeded in modifying the DNA of a human embryo that was then implanted in a woman to continue her pregnancy, in order to obtain the first human beings genetically modified and immunized against AIDS.
His claims sparked the indignation of the scientific community for two reasons. On the one hand, because there is not enough evidence that everything he says is true. On the other hand, because their procedure is ethically dubious and very risky for the lives of these newly born human beings.
The scientist He Jiankui allegedly crossed the line of ethics with a procedure that many consider eugenic, which would mean the opening of a "Pandora's box". That's why more than 100 Chinese scientists have expressed their dissatisfaction with the risky and unjustified behavior of their colleague. open letter .
AS THE DID?
One of the most surprising facts, considered one of the greatest scientific milestones in recent years, was the discovery of the CRISPR / Cas9 tool. It is a molecular tool used to "modify" or "correct" the genome of any cell (including human cells).
That is, they look like molecular scissors, with the ability to cut any molecule of DNA in a precise and controlled way. In this way, it allows to modify the sequence by inserting a new DNA. The main objective would be to fight against diseases, but its use would have no apparent limit, with the exception of ethical ones.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
This is not the first time that a scientist changes the genetics of a human embryo. In 2015, another group of Chinese scientists modified the DNA of a set of embryos rejected in assisted reproduction clinics, with the aim of altering the genomic mutation responsible for thalassemia.
In 2017, Americans have taken the plunge and modified the DNA of human embryos to eliminate the genetic alteration at the origin of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
In both cases, different techniques based on the CRISPR / Cas9 tool were used. However, in none of the cases were embryos implanted in the uterus to continue the pregnancy.
PLAY TO BE GOD
Although the goal of scientists and experts in biomedicine and genetic engineering is to improve the quality of life of people and fight against diseases that remain incurable. The modification of DNA can also have negative consequences, not only for the researcher, but also for the human being born from these experiences.
Such is the case of mosaicism, a disorder by which an individual possesses two or more cell populations that differ in their genetic make-up, ie the individual could have different genetic compositions, which would develop autoimmune diseases. These diseases are characterized by the fact that the immune system of an individual attacks his own cells, recognizing them as strange.
Other critics of this procedure come from the ethical side, since it is a eugenic practice that does not seek to cure diseases, but creates "different" human beings from others . These would be human beings "created" on demand, generating new conditions that could lead to new cases of discrimination, as shown by the science fiction film "Gattaca".
With hypertext information, Dciencia, El País.
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