China confirmed the birth of the first Designer babies

Nearly two months have passed since a Chinese has put the world in turmoil: He Jiankui from the Southern University of Science in Shenzhen will have helped by using the Genschere Crispr-Cas, the first genetically modified people in the world. The birth of twins Nana and Lulu, the biophysicist announced at the end of November, surprisingly, in front of an international Genome-Editing conference in Hong Kong. The babies actually exist, were professionals since it is very likely. A confirmation, however, was missing – until now.

"Nana and Lulu were born", it is now called, in a communication, the official Chinese news Agency Xinhua, which was distributed on Monday to some news sites in China. In the report the preliminary results of an official investigation are summarized by the authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The procedure was shortly after Hes announcement in November launched. Accordingly, the researchers in the Hidden've put together a project team with both Chinese and foreign employees, and the purpose of the state supervision. He is said to have used techniques are "of questionable security and efficiency," to edit "the use of human embryos for the purpose of reproduction of the genetically" – this was banned in China by law.

confirmation of a second pregnancy

According to the investigation by the authorities He is said to have eight pairs of trying, through artificial insemination produced, genetically modified embryos and thus pregnancy. Goal was to make the babies through the use of the Genschere immune to the Aids virus HIV. Only one of the couples came to the birth. In Hong Kong He had given on demand, that a second woman was pregnant. The Xinhua report confirmed now. The care of the young family, the state will take care of. "The province of Guangdong, together with the competent institutions and under the guidance of the authorities, the medical Supervision and the Follow-up of children born and the pregnant volunteers."

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the couples with the HIV-positive husbands had not received access to artificial insemination, although this treatment is denied to all HIV-infected Chinese, go back to the fraudulent behaviour of the researcher: "in Order to circumvent the law, he sent Healthy to the blood tests," said the report. According to Xinhua Hes behavior will be tracked under criminal law. To expect what the consequences are, exactly He has, remained unclear.

researchers falsified documents

Before the particular British experts expressed on Monday for the most part, unaffected by the harsh verdict of the Chinese authorities. The international Community had condemned the intervention in the human germline unanimously and after Hes appearance in Hong Kong intensively discussed, whether and which regulations similar ethical Abuses in the future could prevent. According to Helen O'neill from the University College in London, the preliminary report of the authorities in Guangdong does not contribute, however, to shed some light on this question. "It remains unclear what measures are taken to ensure that something like this happens again in the future – or what is intended as a punishment for He Jiankuis lack of regard for rules, patients and the scientific community", writes the fertility doctor.

The geneticist Yalda Jamshidi of the St. George's University of London, however, hopes that the harsh reaction of the authorities will be a model for the future dealing with ethical lapses in science. "The report will hopefully make an example to the Public and to the researchers could be sure that the Genome-Editing will be allowed, like all new medical procedures, only then, if a real medical occasion, and an appropriate ethical and legal assessment is guaranteed," says the researcher.

In Hong Kong, had justified He his violation of all the ethical rules of biomedical science so that he could meet HIV-positive couples to have children. For experts out of the question that such an intervention for the babies would not be vital and also most dangerous, because the Genschere yet been fully explored and inaccurate. But He was this dam collapse aware of? "He has the Chinese authorities, colleagues and the international scientific community for his personal fame betrayed," says Christophe Galichet from the Francis Crick Institute in London. The examination had now shown that He documents have been falsified to ethical Review, in order for the couples could participate in his study. For the development of geneticists is therefore: "He knew that what he did was unethical". (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 21.01.2019, 17:32 PM