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HONG KONG (REUTERS) – A Chinese scientist at the center of a controversy over what he claims to be the world's first genetically modified children said Wednesday (November 28th) that he was proud of his work and had revealed that another volunteer is pregnant as part of her pregnancy research.
Dr. He Jiankui, associate professor at Southern University Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, delivered a speech in front of a packed audience of about 700 people attending the Summit on the Human Genome Edition at the University of China. 39, University of Hong Kong.
"For this case, I am proud. I am most proud, "said Dr. He when challenged by many of his peers at the conference.
He apologized for the unexpected result as he detailed his conclusions at the conference.
"First of all, I must apologize for the unexpected loss of this result.This study was submitted to a scientific journal for review," said Dr. He.
He did not name the newspaper and said his university was not aware of his study.
In videos posted online this week, Dr. He said he used a gene editing technology called Crispr-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of binoculars born this month.
He defended the work, saying that gene editing would help protect girls from HIV infection, the virus that causes AIDS.
But scientists and the Chinese government denounced the work Dr. He said he had done, and a hospital linked to his research suggested that his ethical approval was forged. Dr. Robin Lovell-Badge, moderator of the conference, said the summit organizers were not aware of the story until the case went off this week.
Crispr-Cas9 is a technology that allows scientists to cut and glue DNA, which gives hope for genetic solutions to the disease. However, there are concerns about security and ethics.
More than 100 scientists, most of them in China, said Tuesday in an open letter 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.
Dr. He's research focuses on genome sequencing technology, bioinformatics and genome editing, according to his biography on the summit's website.
He earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Stephen Quake's lab at Stanford University, according to the site.
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