CHINESE SCIENTISTS CONDEMN HUMAN GENE-EDITING CLAIM

DPA, 26TH NOVEMBER, 2018- More than 120 Chinese scientists on Monday condemned a researcher’s claim that he has – for the first time in history – edited the genes of two babies, in a case with profound medical and ethical implications.

Experimenting on humans is “insane” and carries grave potential consequences, said an open letter signed by scientists from several institutions, including Tsinghua, Peking and Fudan universities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“These irreversible transformations of human genetic material, which are highly uncertain in science, will inevitably be mixed into the human gene pool,” the letter said.

“Indeed, it’s possible that the children born this time are basically healthy for a period of time, but the potential risks and harm to the human group ... are immeasurable.”

Researcher He Jiankui from the southeastern city Shenzhen said the genes of two Chinese girls had been modified so they cannot be infected with HIV, according to a Youtube video posted Sunday.

The girls, named Lulu and Nana,“came crying into the world as healthy as any other babies a few weeks ago,” he said.

He claims he performed gene surgery on fertilized eggs using the CRISPR/CAS9 protein with instructions to prevent future HIV infection. He has yet to publish a paper about the highly controversial procedure.