CHINA has topped work by a team of scientists that claimed to have made the world’s first gene-edited babies.
The experiment – which supposedly resulted in the birth of gene-edited twin girls – had been branded “monstrous” by some experts.
Vice Minister of Science and Technology Xu Nanping told state broadcaster CCTV today that his ministry is strongly opposed to the efforts.
Xu called the team’s actions illegal and unacceptable and said an investigation had been ordered.
Earlier this week, He Jiankui told the world that he had altered the DNA of embryos to create two babies that were protected against HIV, the AIDs virus.
There’s been no hard evidence for the feat yet, as Jiankui says the parents of the twins want to remain anonymous.
This type of science is banned in the UK, because it’s often considered unethical and unsafe.
Unsurprisingly, Jiankui has faced heavy criticism over his experiment.
But speaking at a genome summit in Hong Kong, Jiankui said he was “proud” of his work.
He also said that “another potential pregnancy” of a gene-edited embryo was in its early stages.
There’s plenty of scepticism around Jiankui’s claims, given that there aren’t even any photos of the twin girls.
Jiankui also failed to publish his work in a scientific journal, as would be normal procedure with such a monumental experiment.
And there’s also confusion around why Jiankui decided to edit the baby genes to protect against HIV – rather than a disease that’s more difficult to treat.
Jiankui claims to have altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments. This is believed to have resulted at least one birth – a pair of twin girls – and potentially a second pregnancy.
Prof Julian Savulescu, from the University of Oxford, said: “If true, this experiment is monstrous. These babies are genetic guinea pigs.”
He added: “This experiment exposes healthy normal children to risks of gene editing for no real necessary benefit.”
And Dr Sarah Chan, from the University of Edinburgh, called it a cheap publicity stunt and branded it “despicable”.
According to Jiankui, the goal wasn’t to cure or prevent inherited diseases.
Instead, he hoped to give the babies a natural trait that helps them resist future HIV infection.
Jiankui said that the parents didn’t want to be identified or interviewed, and declined to say where they live – or even where the work was done.
But he did reveal that the girls were named Lulu and Nana, and were born “normal and healthy”.
According to the BBC, the Shenzhen hospital said to have housed the project “denied doing so”.
And Professor He’s own university, the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, has said it was unaware of the project, and will investigate the claims.
Hundreds of Chinese scientists have taken to the local Weibo social media site to condemn the research too.
Speaking at the gene-editing conference in Hong Kong, Jiankui told the AP: “I feel a strong responsibility that’ it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example.”
“Society will decide what to do next.”
What is gene editing?
Here's what you need to know...
- Gene editing involves inserting, deleting, modifying or replacing the DNA of a living organism
- It could help protect humans against diseases and natural illness
- And some believe that gene editing could give us superhuman enhancements
- These could include boosted sense of smell or improved night vision
- Scientists are divided over the ethics of gene editing
- Editing DNA is a new and risky science that could have unknown consequences for babies
- And DNA-editing could lead to societal changes, with the prospect of “designer babies” becoming real
- This could lead to severe inequality – a future where only the rich can afford to modify their DNA could lead to a new elite race of superhumans
- Gene editing has been successfully performed on mice embryos
- And one Chinese scientists claims to have successfully gene-edited the embryos of two human baby girls
Despite Jiankui’s claims of a world-first, scientists are divided over whether the experiment should ever have happened.
Dr Kiran Musunuru, a gene-editing expert at the University of Pennsylvania, described it as “unconscionable”, and called it an “experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible”.
And Dr Eric Topol, of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, said: “This is far too premature.
“We’re dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It’s a big deal.”
But Harvard University’s George Church said HIV is a “major and growing public health threat”, and described the gene-editing experiment as “justifiable”.
Chinese scientists were also responsible for creating the world’s first gene-edited mice earlier this year.
The mice were able to live to adulthood, and even have offspring of their own.
It’s illegal to create genetically-altered babies in the UK.
But earlier this year, the Nuffield Council of Bioethics said that changing a human embryo’s DNA could be “morally permissible”.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
In a report, leading science ethicists suggested that it would need to be in the child’s interests, and that it didn’t work to deepen societal inequalities.
“It is our view that genome editing is not morally unacceptable in itself,” said Karen Yeung, a professor of law and ethics at the University of Birmingham, who chairs the Nuffield working group. There is no reason to rule it out in principle.”
Do you think creating gene-edited babies should be allowed in the UK? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Linkhttps://textbacklinkexchanges.com/china-stops-controversial-work-by-scientist-who-claims-to-have-created-worlds-first-gene-edited-babies/
News Pictures China stops controversial work by scientist who claims to have created world’s first GENE-EDITED babies
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NINTCHDBPICT000452352878.jpg?strip=all&w=960
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий