Zhang Tiancan: Why is the Baby of Gene Editing by Global Criticism

Zhang Tiancha

He Jiankui, an associate professor of Southern University of Science and Technology, announced the day before the second human genome editorial summit held that a pair of gene editor babies were born in China in November this year.This is a pair of twin sisters. When the embryo was formed, they were edited and modified by a gene (CRISPR/CAS9) of the genes of genes (CRISPR/CAS9), so that they could naturally resist the illness of love after birth.This is the world's first genetic editing baby with immune love.

Now, there are more than a hundred scientists worldwide to condemn the experiment, saying that this is the Pandora Box.There are also scientists believe that gene -editing infants endanger the relationship between science and society, harm China's international scientific reputation, and may cause the development of global gene therapy for many years.

The Shenzhen Medical Ethics Expert Committee also issued a statement that it announced the launch of an investigation of ethical issues in Shenzhen and Meimei and Pediatric Hospital (gene editing babies were created and born in this hospital).Southern University of Science and Technology also issued a statement saying that He Jiankui used gene editing technology for human embryonic research, and the Biology Academic Committee believed that it seriously violated academic ethics and academic norms.

Why do global mainstream scientists criticize this study?First of all, the fundamental reason is that the genetic scissors modification and editing genes are not reliable, reliability is difficult to guarantee, and it is difficult to afford the consequences caused by embryo editing.

Scientists from all over the world are exploring the use of gene editing technology to treat diseases. However, due to immature technology and ethical regulations based on technical guarantees, global scientists are unwilling or dare not act lightly.

The most important reason is that this genetic therapy for treating love is not generally modified body cells, that is, genetic cell gene therapy, but genetic editing modification of embryo cells.The biggest difference between it and body cell therapy is that if it fails, it will affect the next generation, even the children and grandson, and endless, because they will be inherited with embryonic genes.If the body cell therapy fails, the injury is also a person, that is, the patient himself, will not hurt his offspring.

Researchers have found that CRISPR/CAS9 genome editing technology, known as genes, is not accurate and has a high off -target rate.A study by British Nature Middot; Biotechnology Magazine Published by the Wellcom Sage Institute (Allan Bradley) and others in the UK, Crispr/CAS9 will cause desertoruucleacaconic acid (DNA) Delete or re -arrange, the result is more serious than previously expected.

Studies on mice and human laboratory cells found that in addition to the small -scale DNA errors that occurred with the known DNA dual -chain break repair, CRISPR/CAS9 technology may also cause large -scale DNA to delete near the target.In some cases, even the complex DNA retransmission is caused, resulting in the affected gene or regulatory sequence, and change the cell function.

Some gene editing and genetic consequences have told people through science fiction works that earlier scientific monsters, and later Hulk.

Hulk, the protagonist of the Hulk, is a world -renowned physicist. In an accident, a large amount of radiation of the gamma bomb made by himself was radiated, and his body was mutated.Later, whenever he was emotionally excited and his heartbeat accelerated, he would become a green monster. After transforming, he was often not controlled and hurt others.

The consequences of gene editing babies may be even worse than the Hulk.A simple case is that if the post -generation has a genetic reunion, the best consequence is that it becomes a dragon and a dragon, and the worst consequences are the strange and powerful monsters that become more strange and powerful than a scientific monster, such as Gu Gu, such as ancient timesChimra in Greek mythology.This is the chimeric problem after gene editing, that is, different genes of the genes, forming non -human -non -horses, non -cattle and pigs.

He Jiankui's team is also very clear about the various ethical regulations of gene editing and the technical defects of gene scissors.He Jiankui's security of human embryo gene editing published in February 2017 is to be resolved in the article that although the American Academy of Sciences released in February 2017, editing human embryo DNA to prevent infant diseases from being accepted ethically,It is equivalent to editing yellow lights for human genes, but there are still many ethical and technical problems that must be solved first.These issues involve safety.

First, the gene editing technology has not yet undergone a complete model animal (such as monkeys) and cell line safety assessment; second, the seal target effect may occur after human gene editing, and the quality control process must be established to avoid;At the time, the chimeric problem has not been resolved, and the impact may not be clarified; the fourth is how the embryo development will be affected, and it must be studied in detail at the molecular level or functional level;Will it have an impact after generation and must be verified by the animal model.

He Jiankui said that CRISPR/CAS9 gene scissors are a new technology that must be conducted in more in -depth research and understanding.Regardless of the perspective of science and social ethics, before these important safety issues are solved, any germ cell line editing or manufacturing gene editing human behavior is extremely irresponsible.

In other words, before these problems are solved, any behavior of editing babies with genes scissors is not accepted by human society.This is why gene editing fetuses must be strictly approved by ethical approval.

In Britain, which is edited and created in the world in the world, if you want to edit embryos, you must obtain the approval of the British Ministry of Health and the British Human Planting and Embryo (HFEA), and you need a special ethics review to conduct research.EssenceAt the same time, Britain strictly stipulated that editing embryonic genes can be used, but all test embryos are required to be destroyed on the 14th day or before, and the transplantation is prohibited from being transplanted into the mother.Therefore, it is impossible to make gene editing fetuses be born.

All of the above reasons are the main and important reasons for opposition to existing gene editing babies in professional and non -professional fields.

The author is a Beijing scholar

This genetic therapy for the treatment of love is not a general modification of the body cells, that is, the body cell gene therapy, but the gene editing modification of the embryo cells.The biggest difference between it and body cell therapy is that if it fails, it will affect the next generation, even the children and grandson, and endless, because they will be inherited with embryonic genes.