TECH

Scientist claims to have created first genetically manipulated babies

The revelation was made in Hong Kong by one of the organizers of an international conference on gene manipulation that is expected to begin on Tuesday and previously in exclusive interviews with the Associated Press (AP) news agency."Society will decide what to do next," he argued in the interview.Scientist He Jiankui of Shenzhen said he altered the embryos during the fertility treatments of seven couples, resulting in a pregnancy so far.Jiankui said the goal is not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to build resilience to a possible future HIV-AIDS infection.The scientist said that the parents involved did not want to be identified or interviewed and did not say where they live or where the work was done.There is no independent confirmation of He Jiankui's claim, which has so little been published or examined by other scholars.Some scientists were astonished to learn of the allegation and condemned it vehemently.It is "inconceivable ... an experience in humans that is not morally or ethically defensible," criticized a gene manipulation expert at the University of Pennsylvania, Kiran Musunuru, and editor of a genetics journal."That's too premature," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute (California).However, a famous geneticist, George Church, of Harvard University (Massachusetts), advocated gene manipulation to combat the HIV-AIDS virus, which he called "a large and growing threat to public health" .
The scientist said that the parents involved did not want to be identified or interviewed and did not say where they live or where the work was done.There is no independent confirmation of He Jiankui's claim, which has so little been published or examined by other scholars.Some scientists were astonished to learn of the allegation and condemned it vehemently.It is "inconceivable ... an experience in humans that is not morally or ethically defensible," criticized a gene manipulation expert at the University of Pennsylvania, Kiran Musunuru, and editor of a genetics journal."That's too premature," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute (California).However, a famous geneticist, George Church, of Harvard University (Massachusetts), advocated gene manipulation to combat the HIV-AIDS virus, which he called "a large and growing threat to public health" ."I think that's justifiable," Church said.
In recent years, scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to manipulate genes. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to change the DNA to provide a needed gene or to disable one that is causing problems.It has only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, but the changes are confined to that person. The manipulation of sperm, ova or embryos is different, since the changes can be inherited. China prohibits human cloning, but not specifically the manipulation of genes.Jiankui studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the United States before returning to his home country to open a laboratory at the South China University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.An American scientist said he had worked with Jiankui on this project. He is a professor of physics and bioengineering, Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice University in Houston. Deem also holds "a small stake" in the two Jiankui companies, he said.The Chinese researcher said that he had been practicing the genetic manipulation of rats, monkeys and human embryos in the laboratory for several years and applied for patents on his methodology.He Jiankui added that he chose to test the genetic manipulation of embryos for HIV because the virus is a big problem in China.
The scientist has tried to deactivate a gene called CCR5, which forms a protein gateway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.All men in the project had HIV, while all women did not, but genetic manipulation was not aimed at avoiding the small risk of transmission, he explained.Parents have had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV drugs and there are simple ways to avoid infestations that do not involve gene alteration.Instead, the intention was to offer HIV-affected couples the chance to have a child who could be protected from a similar fate.He Jiankui has recruited couples through a case advocacy group related to the Aids virus, Baihualin, which is based in Beijing.Its leader, known by the pseudonym "Bai Hua," told AP that it is not unusual in China for people with HIV to lose jobs or have problems getting medical care if the infections are reported.


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