CHINESE SCIENTIST DEFENDS 'WORLD'S FIRST GENE-EDITED BABIES'
HONG
KONG -A Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world's first genetically edited babies has defended his work.
Speaking at a genome summit in Hong Kong, He Jiankui said he was "proud" of altering the genes of twin girls so they cannot contract HIV.
His work, which he announced earlier this week, has not been verified.
Many scientists have condemned his announcement, with one labelling it monstrous. Such gene-editing work is banned in most countries.
Prof He's university - the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen - said it was unaware of the research project and would launch an investigation.
Prof He confirmed the university was not aware, adding he had funded the experiment by himself.
What has the scientist claimed?
Prof He announced earlier this week that he had altered the DNA of embryos - twin girls - to prevent them from contracting HIV.
Yesterday, Prof He spoke at the Human Genome Editing Summit at the University of Hong Kong for the first time about his work since the uproar. He revealed that the twin girls - known as "Lulu" and "Nana" - were "born normal and healthy," adding that there were plans to monitor the twins over the next 18 years. He explained that eight couples - comprised of HIV-positive fathers and HIV-negative mothers - had signed up voluntarily for the experiment; one couple later dropped out.
Prof He also said that the study had been submitted to a scientific journal for review, though he did not name the journal.
He also said that "another potential pregnancy" of a gene-edited embryo was in its early stages.
Why is it this controversial? The Crispr gene editing tool he claims to have used is not new to the scientific world, and was first discovered in 2012.
It works by using "molecular scissors" to alter a very specific strand of DNA - either cutting it out, replacing it or tweaking it.
Gene editing could potentially help avoid heritable diseases by deleting or changing troublesome coding in embryos. But experts worry meddling with the genome of an embryo could cause harm not only to the individual but also future generations that inherit these same changes.