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In this photo of October 10, 2018, He Jiankui speaks during an interview in a laboratory in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, southern China. He claims to have contributed to the creation of the first genetically modified babies in the world: binoculars whose DNA he has altered. He revealed it Monday, November 26 in Hong Kong at one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing. (AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)
A Chinese researcher claims that he helped create the first genetically modified baby in the world – binoculars born this month of which he modified DNA, according to a powerful new tool, able to rewrite the model of life. The claims provoked international outrage and the university in which the researcher works stated that the work "seriously violated academic ethics and codes of conduct".
The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he has modified embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with a pregnancy up to now. He stated that his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to confer a characteristic trait of a few people naturally – an ability to resist a possible HIV infection , the AIDS virus.
He added that the parents concerned did not want to be identified or interviewed and that he would not tell them where they lived or where the work was done. The news of the research has been reported for the first time by the Associated Press. Jiankui's request has not been saved in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and there is no independent confirmation.
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The Southern University of Science and Technology, where Jiankui works, issued a statement apparently condemning this claim.
"The university was deeply shocked by this event and immediately took steps to contact Dr. Jiankui HE to obtain clarification." Before, the Department of Biology (hereinafter referred to as the Department) had convened an urgent meeting of the Academic Committee of the department, "the university said in a statement.
The university wanted to clarify that there were three points to remember from his statement:
1. The research was conducted off campus and was not reported to the university or department. The university and the department were not aware of the research project and its nature.
2. The Academic Committee of SUSTech's Department of Biology believes that the fact that Dr. Jiankui HE used CRISPR / Cas9 to edit human embryos has seriously violated academic ethics and codes of conduct.
3. All research conducted at SUSTech must comply with international laws and regulations, as well as international academic codes of conduct and ethics.
"The University will call on international experts to form an independent panel to investigate this incident and to disclose the results to the public," the university added.
Others called for a thorough review of Jiankui's claims, including one of CRISPR's co-inventors, Dr. Jennifer Doudna of UC Berkeley, who said the work needed to be checked before it could to be supported.
"If verified, this work is a break with the cautious and transparent approach of CRISPR-Cas9 application by the global scientific community for human germline editing," said Dr. Doudna .
"It is essential that this report does not cast an unfortunate shadow over the many ongoing and planned clinical efforts to use CRISPR technology to treat and treat existing genetic, infectious and common diseases in adults and children," he said. Dr. Doudna. It is also important to continue public and transparent discussions on the many uses of genome modification technology, as will happen over the next three days at the Hong Kong Human Genome Modification Summit. "
It's "unacceptable … an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible," said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, an expert in gene editing at the University of Pennsylvania and editor-in-chief. from a genetics journal.
"It's far too premature," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. "We are dealing with the use of a human being.It is a big problem."
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In addition, more than 100 scientists have signed a petition asking for increased monitoring of gene editing experiments in light of Jiankui's complaint. City officials where the laboratory is located have also launched a medical and ethical investigation.
Addressing to the AP, Jiankui said that he felt the "strong responsibility that it is not only necessary to make a first, but also to make an example of it" , adding that "society will decide what to do next" if it will be allowed or forbidden.
Jiankui posted a video on YouTube to discuss the claim and its implications.
Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
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