Ming Pao News Agency
Mainland scientist He Jiankui appeared at the University of Hong Kong and attended the International Summit of the Editorial Editors of Human Genome and explained the Edit Edit Baby Storm.The chairman of the summit criticized He Jiankui's irresponsible research, reflecting the failure of the self -regulation of the scientific community.
Some genetic experts are worried that the incident or the regulatory agency has adopted more stringent restrictions on gene editing research. Genetic scissors CRISPR technology inventors also called on the global conclusions to prohibit gene editing babies from concluding.The storm may also be a watershed in the major genetic engineering competition, triggering more secret research on biotechnology with moral controversy, and scientific ethics will face more test impacts.
Gene -editing baby storm He Jiankui to justify the uninvited crowd
He Jiankui, an associate professor of Shenzhen University of Science and Technology, claimed that the success of gene editing technology made a pair of twins with AIDS immunity, and the news shocked the international. More than 100 scientists in the Mainland condemned.Looking at the scholars at the summit, most experts seemed to believe that He Jiankui did conduct gene editing baby research.
He Jiankui defended AIDS and emphasized that the experimenters had been educated well and knew the risks. However, the scientists of the meeting generally believed that there are still many ways to resist AIDS. His statement cannot stand on his feet.
The emergence of gene editing technology has not matured for several years, and the development has not matured. The international community has not fully discussed it. At this stage, the technology is directly applied to the fetus. There is a big problem with the practice.The Ministry of Science and Technology said that if gene editing babies have been born and the principles of ethical guidance of human embryonic stem cell research are violated, the authorities will handle it in accordance with the law, but the relevant documents are only guidelines and are not legal.
According to the management measures of the legal human assisted reproductive technology of the Mainland, medical institutions that apply for human assisted reproductive technology must meet the requirements of human assisted reproductive technology specification documents. Among them, it is stipulated that human embryos are prohibited from reproductive.Whether institutions apply to scientists individuals, or have gray areas.
He Jiankui emphasized that Southern University of Science and Technology did not know that the University of Ries University, the American alma mater, but it was obviously assisted by his research.It is pointed out that He Jiankui's research funds come from Nanda University. Tim, a professor of Rice University, who was once the instructor of He Jiankui, was investigated by the school for involving the incident. The truth was yet to be found.
Some scholars believe that He Jiankui's research is not a major technical breakthrough this time. However, if genetic editing twins is born, because only He Jiankui and others know the identity of the twins, it means that they can observe the growth of twins for a long time.Even if there is an experiment of living people, this advantage is enough to make He Jiankui enter the cutting -edge unmanned area.
He Jiankui believes that ethics will stand on our side, emphasizing that IVF is also controversial at first.Some scholars are worried that after this storm, regulators in various places may introduce more stringent restrictions and hinder gene editing research. However, competition in large powers may also become a thrust in the opposite direction.
China's leading gene editing Mei Chongying SPUTNIK moment
Gene engineering and artificial intelligence are the two high -tech fields of this century. Human physicist Hawking predicts that humans will see genetic engineering breakthroughs at the end of this century and superhumans.Sino -US genetic engineering competition is fierce, and genetic scissors technology opens the door of gene editing. Sino -US genetic scissors technology application patented projects are equal, each of which has the same number of global total.
In 2015, Chinese scientists took the lead in conducting an experiment of human embryo gene editing. China has also led the world in the use of genes scissors to treat cancer. So far, nearly 100 patients have been treated.A report on Goldman Sachs claims that China has overwhelmed the United States in the gene editing competition. American experts even exclaimed that the Sputnik Moment of Biotechnology had come.Trigger space competition.
Any cutting -edge technology is possible to use military and civilians.The United States has heated up the hostile to China. Some experts have questioned that China can apply gene scissors to medical purposes, and may also be used to develop biological weapons.However, the American Atlantic Magazine also mentioned that in the past, the US Department of Defense also had a secret biotechnology plan.At present, the US Department of Defense's Higher Research Program (DARPA) has research gene editing technology, and the outside world does not know the details. One of the research projects that have been publicly mentioned are genetically modified insects and viruses.
The United States claims that allowing a large number of insects with genetically modified viruses to contact crops can transform crop genes and resist drought and floods. However, German scholars have questioned that drought resistance and waterlogging have other methods.Essence
Today, Europe has the strictest research on human embryo gene editing. The legislation of many countries is prohibited from research on human reproductive cells. China, India and other developing countries are relatively loose, and the law regulates a gray area.In the United States, although the law is prohibited from funding the editing of human embryo gene editing, there are no legislative restrictions. Last year, the American scientific community agreed to change human genes in strict supervision and rare situations to avoid diseases and open the door for genetic transformation babies to open the door open the door.Essence
After He Jiankui's research was exposed, Zhang Feng, an inventor of genes scissors and Chinese Chinese scientists, advocated to conclude a global agreement to prohibit gene editing babies, but the genetic engineering competition has already begun, whether it can be unsure.
In recent years, some American scientists have talked about how to transform human genes in order to adapt to Mars' environmental life. New humans have only a problem. Some scholars have said that they have identified more than 40 genes that are beneficial to long -distance space.The world is big, and it is easy to ensure that no scientists are quietly conducting experiments.The birth of gene editing babies may make more people eager to try.
