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Abu Dhabi- In a dangerous and potentially alarming scientific development, Chinese scientists claimed to have helped produce the world's first genetically modified children by modifying DNA.
A Chinese scientist said he helped edit the DNA of two twins born in November and used a new tool to rewrite the genetic code of twins before they were born.
If the news is true, it will be a huge scientific and moral leap, according to the Associated Press.
An American scientist said that he was partly involved in this success, knowing that genetic modification or genetic engineering of humans is forbidden in the United States because any genetic engineering of DNA will be transmitted to subsequent generations, thus endangering other human genes.
The vast majority of scientists believe that trying to do so is considered dangerous, and other scientists have gone to denounce and condemn this Chinese information as human experiences.
The Chinese scientist, Hiy Jianqui, said that he had made genetic modifications to the embryos of 7 women during their enrichment treatment and had given birth to one of them. until now.
He pointed out that what he had done was not a form of treatment or prevention of a genetic disorder, but an attempt to give a status that is only natural to a few people, the ability to withstand future infectious diseases such as disease or HIV.
The doctor refused to divulge the parents of the two genetically modified generators, as well as their place of residence, their clinic or their hospital where the genetic modification was carried out.
There is no independent confirmation of the validity of what he has done, nor has it been published in a scientific journal so that other experts and scientists can judge its validity or accuracy .
However, the doctor revealed what he did Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of the International Conference on Genetic Engineering, which will start Tuesday, as he had done in a previous interview with the agency.
During the interview, the Chinese scientist said: "I feel great responsibility because it was not only to be the first to do it, but to make it a model and an example. and the company will decide the next step.
Scientists such as Kieran Mosonoro, an expert in genetic engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, were quick to condemn him once they learned about it and considered testing the human being morally. unacceptable.
"We are dealing with the genes responsible for the execution of human orders," said Erik Topol, a research scientist in genetic engineering at the California Institute of Organ Transplantation.
However, Harvard genealogist, George Church, has defended the attempt of the Chinese expert on the engineering of the AIDS gene, which he sees as a serious and growing threat to public health. "I think it's justified," he said.
The American scientist, who was partially involved in this genetic modification, is a professor of biological engineering and physician, Michael Demm, a member of the scientific advisory board of two companies owned by the Chinese scientist Giancoi.
The Chinese scientist Jianqui pointed out that engineering genes against AIDS because the disease was a major threat in China, and sought to disable the gene responsible for the infection, "CCR-5", which is the protein that allows HIV to enter the cell.
What did Giancoi do?
Genetic modification or genetic engineering in the laboratory begins with the first fertilization process in the laboratory, sorting sperm to isolate it from the organic fluid produced by the testes, the fluid in which HIV can be found.
A sperm is injected into a female egg to be vaccinated for fetal development, and the gene editing tool is added.
When the embryo reaches 3 to 5 days, some cells are removed and examined to determine if they are modified. At this point, the couple can choose between a transgenic or non-transgenic embryo in an IVF and an attempted pregnancy.
According to the agency, 16 genetically modified embryos were used on 22 and 11 fertilized eggs were used for 6 uterine transplants, before the birth of the genetically modified twins.
Many scientists have said that the details of the scientific process, which Giancoi had conducted and presented to the Associated Press, indicated that the experiments were not yet sufficient to assert that the genetic modification he had made was unhurt.
They discussed the process of genetic modification, which he did incompletely, replacing some cells not preventing the incidence of AIDS, as George Church noted. Arab Sky News
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