human embryo

Chinese Geneticist Says Another ‘Potential’ Gene-Edited Pregnancy

He Jiankui, who has been challenged by several peers, says he is proud of his work.

Hong Kong: A Chinese scientist at the centre of an ethical storm over what he claims are the world’s first genetically edited babies said on Wednesday he is proud of his work and revealed that another there was a second “potential” pregnancy as part of the research.

He Jiankui, an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, addressed a packed hall of around 700 people attending the Human Genome Editing Summit at the University of Hong Kong.

“For this case, I feel proud. I feel proudest,” He said, when challenged by several peers at the conference.

“This study has been submitted to a scientific journal for review,” He said. He did not name the journal and said his university was unaware of his study.

He, who said his work was self-funded, shrugged off concerns that the research was conducted in secrecy, explaining that he had engaged the scientific community over the past three years.

In videos posted online this week, He said he used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born this month.

He said gene editing would help protect the girls from infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

But scientists and the Chinese government have denounced the work that He said he carried out, and a hospital linked to his research suggested its ethical approval had been forged.

The conference moderator, Robin Lovell-Badge, said the summit organisers were unaware of the story until it broke this week.

Also read: The Exhilarating World of Neurogenetics

CRISPR-Cas9 is a technology that allows scientists to essentially cut and paste DNA, raising hope of genetic fixes for disease. However, there are concerns about safety and ethics.

The Chinese Society for Cell Biology in a statement on Tuesday strongly condemned any application of gene editing on human embryos for reproductive purposes and said that it was against the law and medical ethics of China.

More than 100 scientists, most in China, said in an open letter on Tuesday the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology to edit the genes of human embryos was dangerous and unjustified. “Pandora’s box has been opened,” they said.

He’s research focuses on genome sequencing technology, bioinformatics and genome editing, according to his biography on the summit’s website.

He received his PhD at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in Stephen Quake lab at Stanford University according to the site.

Continued study

He, who said he was against gene enhancement, said eight couples were initially enrolled for his study while one dropped out. The criteria required the father to be HIV positive and the mother to be HIV negative.

David Baltimore, president emeritus, Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology, spoke after He’s speech, saying it was irresponsible to have proceeded until safety issues were in order.

“I don’t think it has been a transparent process. Only found out about it after it happened and the children were born,” he said.

He Jiankui said his results could be used for millions with inherent diseases. He said he would monitor the two newborns for the next 18 years and hoped they would support continued monitoring thereafter.

Shenzhen Harmonicare Medical Holdings Limited, reported by media as being involved in He’s project, sought to distance itself by stating the hospital never participated in any operations relating to the gene-edited babies and no related delivery had taken place.

In a statement published to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday, the group said preliminary investigations indicated the signatures on the application form circulated on the internet are “suspected to have been forged, and no relevant meeting of the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital in fact took place”.

Chinese Scientist Apologises for Leak of Baby Gene-Editing Results

He Jiankui, who has claimed to have helped make the world’s first gene-edited babies, said that his study has been submitted to a journal for review.

Hong Kong: A Chinese scientist at the centre of a controversy over what he claims are the world’s first genetically edited children apologised on Wednesday for the result being leaked unexpectedly as he detailed his findings at a conference in Hong Kong.

“First, I must apologise that this result was leaked unexpectedly. This study has been submitted to a scientific journal for review,” He said. He did not name the journal and said his university was unaware of his study.

Also read: CRISPR Gene Editing and How It Works

In videos posted online this week, He said he used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born this month.

He defended the work, saying gene editing would help protect the girls from infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

But scientists and the Chinese government have denounced the work that He said he carried out, and a hospital linked to his research suggested its ethical approval had been forged.

The conference moderator, Robin Lovell-Badge, said the summit organisers were unaware of the story until it broke this week.

Also read: CRISPR Gets Golden Makeover That Could Improve Gene-Editing Tech

CRISPR-Cas9 is a technology that allows scientists to essentially cut and paste DNA, raising hope of genetic fixes for disease. However, there are concerns about safety and ethics.

He’s research focuses on genome sequencing technology, bioinformatics and genome editing, according to his biography on the summit’s website.

He received his PhD at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in Stephen Quake lab at Stanford University according to the site.

Chinese Scientist Claims to Have Helped Make World’s First Gene-Edited Babies

He Jiankui, of the Southern University of Science and Technology, China, used CRISPR in an attempt to remove a gene from cells in a human embryo and confer resistance to HIV.

New Delhi: A researcher in China has claimed that twin girls born this month are the world’s first genetically edited babies – and he helped make them.

According to an Associated Press report, He Jiankui claims to have altered embryos for seven couples during the course of their fertility treatments, and one woman got pregnant. In al, the ‘altered’ embryos, He says he attempted to build in resistance to HIV. He was not trying to cure or prevent an inherited disease, AP reported.

Before speaking to AP, He had also made his research available online (without mentioning the live births) and begun an outreach campaign to find out how the public would respond to such gene editing, according to Technology Review.

Gene editing of this kind is illegal in several countries, including India and the US. According to AP, several scientists have denounced He’s claims – which are yet to be verified – and said he is conducting ‘human experimentation’. The Chinese researcher told AP that he has been practising his process on mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents.

“I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” He said to AP. “Society will decide what to do next.”

He used CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing tool, according to Technology Review. He and his team were attempting to remove a gene called CCR5.

The researcher did not reveal the identities of the couples who were involved in his study, saying they wished to remain anonymous. He reportedly contacted them through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group named Baihualin.

He studied in the US before returning to China and opened a lab at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, AP reported. The researcher also owns two genetics companies. An American scientist helped He with his study, according to the news agency. Michael Deem was He’s advisor at Rice University and is on the board of the two companies.

The specifics

According to AP, He conducted the gene editing during an in vitro fertilisation procedure. All the men in the study were HIV positive and the women were not.

The sperm was separated from the semen because semen can include the HIV virus. A single egg and single sperm were combined to create an embryo. CRISPR was then introduced into this embryo.

Three to five days later, according to He, a few cells from the embryo were removed and checked for editing. Couples were then given a choice about whether or not they wanted to use the edited embryo.

He has claimed that tests show one of the twins has both copies of the intended gene altered, while the other has one copy altered. According to him, there is no evidence of any harm to other genes.

The second twin – the one with only one copy of the intended gene altered – can still get HIV, according to AP. There are a few studies that suggest that her health might decline more slowly than otherwise if she does get it, though.

Scientists who reviewed the test results He gave AP were not convinced of his success – both in terms of whether the editing was actually done and the possibility of other harm.

George Church, a noted geneticist Harvard University, one of the only American scientists quoted who did not raise ethical objections to He’s experiment, told AP that it was almost like “not editing at all” if only some cells were altered.

He’s decision to use the second embryo knowing full well that the altering had not worked completely was also questioned. “In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you’re exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,” Kiran Musunuru, a gene-editing expert at the University of Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia, and editor of a genetics journal, told AP.

Due process

It is not clear whether He’s research was totally above ground, per AP. For one, he reported his clinical trial long after he had actually started work on it, and when the twins were either already born or about to be. According to China’s registry of clinical trials, He gave official notice only on November 8.

Another question scientists have raised is around the information participants were given about the purpose and possible risks of the project. According to AP, the consent forms called the trial an “AIDS vaccine development” programme – which it is not.

Deem has stood by He and said he was present when the couples consented to the experiment. However, according to AP, neither of the two researchers have any experience conducting clinical trials.

He has said that he will cover the insurance requirements of the twins, and also follow their growth for as long as necessary. According to AP, further pregnancies under the clinical trial are on hold until the results of the first trial are clearly visible.

“I believe this is going to help the families and their children,” He told AP. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, “I would feel the same pain as they do and it’s going to be my own responsibility.”

The ethics

The ethical questions, which – according to one analysis – could shape CRISPR’s future in solving human health problems to the extent that economics will, take two major shapes.

First, should humans alter life? Because editing one’s genes will effectively alter the template from which the body is constructed. Second, we are not aware of all the consequences that edited genes will have on the body as it ages. Should we still use it because the technique could cure a debilitating illness in the baby?

Priorities could help policymakers and lawmakers make better decisions on both fronts, especially when also informed by cultural norms. For example, using CRISPR to eliminate mosquitoes that spread malaria could have large social and economic benefits for countries ravaged by this disease.

On the other hand, many first-world nations that don’t have to do deal with a large malaria burden might not feel so compelled to resort to this technique.

China itself intends to be a global leader in biotechnology, and is at this time presumably taking advantage of a restrictive research environment in the former leader, the United States. The Asian superpower has eased regulations to the point where its scientists are able to experiment with human embryos.

Researchers around the world do acknowledge that tighter controls will be necessary to keep scientists, and regulators, from getting carried away. A popular example is designer babies: where parents might ask doctors to use CRISPR to ensure their soon-to-be-born child comes to life with certain features built-in, so to speak, and certain others removed.

Such selection could not just interfere with the supposed natural order but – more importantly – lend itself to eugenic tendencies with severe consequences for society.