The scientist of genetically modified babies says that there is another pregnant volunteer

By Holly Chik and Farah Master

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Chinese scientist said Wednesday that he was proud of his work and revealed that another pregnant volunteer might be part of the program. research

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.

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

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 the pregnancy was complete or not.

The researcher, who said his work was self-financing, shrugged off concerns about secrecy surrounding the investigations, saying he had been involved in the scientific community for three years.

In videos posted online this week, he said he used a gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic-stage genes 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 the summit 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.

(Additional information from Anne Marie Roantree, translated by Tomás Cobos to the Madrid editorial board)