Chinese scientist announces volunteer volunteer in embryo gene modification research

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese scientist He Jian Kui, who unleashed a moral storm after announcing the announcement of the world's first two genetically modified children, said he was proud of his job and had revealed on Wednesday that another volunteer who participated in her research was pregnant.

He, an assistant professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology, in Shenzhen, China, delivered a speech to some 700 people at the summit on the human genome amendment of the United States. University of Hong Kong.

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"I am proud (…) of this study was submitted to a scientific journal for review," he said, without mentioning the scientific journal and noting that the university in which he worked was not Was not aware of this study.

He said his work was self-financing and downplayed the fears that the research would be confidential, adding that he had been in contact with the scientific community over the past three years.

He said this week in online video recordings that he was using a technology known as the Crisper-Cass 9 to tweak Jenny's twin twins born this month.

He added that genetic modification would help protect twin twins from the HIV virus.

But the Chinese government and scientists have dismissed the work that he has done and a hospital-related research has reported a fraudulent endorsement.

CRISPER-CAS-9 technology allows scientists to cut and copy DNA, reinforcing the hopes of genetic reform to prevent disease.

There are concerns about safety and ethics.

More than 100 scientists said Tuesday in an open letter that the use of Crysis-K9 technology to modify genes in the human embryo was risky and unwarranted. "They opened the gates of hell," they said.

He said that eight couples were registered to participate in the research and then had one. The study requires that the father be infected with HIV and that the mother is not infected.

He added that the results could be applied to millions of people with underlying diseases and that he would monitor the twins for 18 years and hope that they will be able to remain under surveillance thereafter.

(Reuters)