Chinese geneticist reveals another pregnancy that could have been genetically modified

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Chinese scientist said on Wednesday that he was proud of his job and had revealed that another pregnant volunteer might be part of the investigation. .

He Jiankui, an associate professor at SUSTech (University of Southern Science and Technology) in Shenzhen, China, spoke in front of a room filled with some 700 people who attended the human genome summit held in Beijing. 39, University of Hong Kong.

"In this case, I am proud," he said after being interviewed by several of his colleagues at the conference.

When asked if there were any other modified genetic pregnancies as part of his tests, he noted that there was another pregnancy "possible" and responded " yes "to a later question, namely whether there was a" chemical pregnancy "used for natural abortions in the first weeks of pregnancy.

It was not clear whether this pregnancy was over or not.

"This study has been sent to a scientific journal for review," said the scientist. He did not name the magazine and said his university was not aware of his study.

In videos posted on the Internet this week, he said he used a gene-modification technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to modify genes in the embryonic stage of twins born this month.

He said that gene modification would help protect girls from HIV infection, the virus that causes AIDS.

However, scientists and the Chinese government denounced the work he claimed to have done, and a hospital linked to his research suggested that his ethical approval had been falsified.

The conference moderator, Robin Lovell-Badge, said that the event organizers were not aware of the investigation until it was made public. this week.

CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to cut and paste DNA. It is therefore a technology that increases the hope of finding genetic solutions to fight against diseases. However, its use raises concerns about safety and ethics.

The Chinese Society of Cell Biology strongly condemned Tuesday any application of gene editing on human embryos for reproductive purposes and said that this violated Chinese law and medical ethics.

More than 100 scientists, mainly in China, said in an open letter Tuesday that the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology to alter human embryo genes was dangerous and unjustified. "The Pandora's box has been opened," they said.

The scientist, who said he was opposed to improving the genes, said that eight couples had initially been recruited for their study and that another had suffered a defection. The required criterion was that the father was HIV-positive and the mother HIV-negative.

He also stated that all participants had a "good level of education" and that they had had two rounds of discussion with him and his team.

The consent form given to couples mentions multiple risks, but there is little detail about the potential complications of the gene editing process itself, and it is not mentioned that such a experience had never been done before.