The world was suddenly in a shock after a Chinese geneticist He Jiankui claimed that he has seen to the birth of the first gene edited babies in the world. For some, it is more anger than shock because they believe ethically, that is not a line anyone should. Or maybe not yet.
The idea of gene editing, is as the name suggests, the use of a technology, CRISPR-Cas9, to modify a DNA. With that, you can correct some “defects” in the child even before it is born. With gene editing, you can modify the gene of humans to prevent them from having some disabilities or even some disease.
While it remains to be seen whether the claim of He Jiankui that Lulu and Nana are the first gene edited babies in the world and he is the brain behind it is true, here are some useful facts about the whole thing:
Facts About First Gene Edited Babies
1. Meet Lulu and Nana
Lulu and Nana are twin Chinese babies who were born in November 2018. Jiankui claimed that the babies are as healthy as any babies in the world and they behave the same, thus far. The real names of the babies are not known as Lulu and Nana are simply their nicknames.
2. Their Parents
While the identities of the parents are still unknown, the father’s name is given as Mark while the mother’s name is said to be Grace. Mark is a HIV carrier who had never thought he was going to have his own children According to the researchers involved in the project, the parents of Lulu and Nana were made to understand everything that gene editing entails and they gave their consent to it, something that many have called them out for as a result of their recklessness.
3. How Lulu and Nana were conceived
The pregnancy of these twin babies resulted from the sperm of Mark which was collected and sent into the eggs of Grace. While this may seem all normal, a protein was also included with some instructions to carry out a gene surgery. This is with the sole purpose of eliminating the door through which HIV enters the human body.
4. The reason for the gene editing
The idea behind the gene-editing according to He Jiankui is to alter the gene and make it resistant to HIV. HIV gets to enter the human cells through a protein doorway used by a gene known as CCR5. This is the gene that the scientists involved in the project concentrated on editing.
The genes were modified using the gene-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 before they were placed in the womb of the mother.
5. Before Lulu and Nana
Before Lulu and Nana came as the first gene edited babies, gene editing was researched in animals. Scientists have used the technology to eliminate HIV DNA in live mice. The process was successfully carried out in 2016, but never has it been brought anywhere near humans.
6. The researchers involved
Heading the project is He Jiankui who is a Chinese biomedical researcher and a professor of biology with the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China. That said, the project was not done in association with the institution. In fact, he was on a leave without pay from the university when he made the announcement on the birth of the babies on a YouTube video.
Others involved in the research are other scientists as well as a US scientist who flew over to be involved in the project as it is not allowed in the USA.
7. The backlash
Even though the Chinese scientist insists he is very proud of what he has done, he has received a lot of backlash from the scientific community world over, claiming he breached ethical guidelines. The main concern for many is that the effect that it may have on the babies is still not known as not many research works were conducted in that regard to know.
Even though he maintained that the babies are in good health, the fear is for their long term health is still unknown. More so, there is also the belief that for now, we may not get to know the effect it has until probably years or even generations to come.
Already, the Chinese government has ordered for an investigation into the research as the backlash keeps pouring in.
8. The Praise
While the claim has not been independently verified, there are those who are of the idea that it is something that should be welcomed, even though they may not be as many as those who believe it should be condemned, because it is only an attempt to claim god.
In a statement released by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, it can be a good idea for medical reasons and without reasonable alternatives. More so, that it much be with maximum transparency, caution, and strict oversight.
9. Can it take care of serious diseases?
The main excitement for many when it comes to gene editing is towards finding a solution for health challenges such as Cancer, HIV, and many other diseases that have become a serious problem to man.
Researchers have found out that with the tweaking of the genes, the technology may come very handy in the treatment of diseases. Theoretically, it is believed that for now, editing genes may be possible for a subset of cancers in humans. That said, the effort of trying to cure cancer with CRISPR is something that scientists are fully working on.
Another thing is that for other diseases such as HIV which is the target of He and other researchers involved in the recent project, we may also get to see some progress, although it may take years to come.
10. Gene editing in the US
Although most countries do not have the laws specifically banning gene editing, it is mostly believed that ethically, it is something that is very wrong to do because the full implication has still not yet been understood.
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In the United States, it is allowed for scientists to edit embryos for research purposes, but that can’t be transplanted into a womb, hence it must be destroyed.
11. Lulu and Nana are not the last of their “Kind”
While they may be the first genetically edited babies, Lulu and Nana are definitely not going to be the last as already, Jiankui has revealed that the next gene edited baby is on the way as another woman is pregnant with an edited embryo.
