The Gene Editing Scandal that Shook the World

Описание: In 2018, a gene editing scandal shook the world. Two babies have been genetically engineered in secret by one one man. Some hail this man as a hero who could save thousands, other warn that he could change the genetic code of humanity forever. This is the story of the first genetically edited children. This is the gene editing scandal that shook the world.

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He Jiankui was born in 1984 in a small village in Xinhua County, Hunan, China. Throughout his childhood and early adultood, he worked hard and slowly became interested in gene editing. A few years earlier, the rise of CRISPR Cas9 technology has revolutionized our possibilities in gene editing. By using the Cas9 protein and a guide RNA that is specific to a target gene, we can make precise cuts in our DNA. He aimed to use CRISPR Cas9 gene editing to mutate the CCR5 gene in embryos. In this way, he speculated, they might become resistant against HIV. So He enrolled couples with HIV positive men to genetically engineer fertilized eggs and make them "HIV resistant". In November 2018, the first genetically edited children (Lulu and Nana) were born. When He announced their birth, the scientific communitx and the world were shocked. Gene therapy and gene editing treatments require many safety mechanisms to avoid severe side-effects. Many were shocked since no one really knew what safety precautions He took. When it came to light that He allegedly falsified ethical approval forms, he and some of his colleagues were sentenced to 1.5-3 years in prison. In 2024, He announced that he re-opened his laboratory to study rare genetic diseases.

0:00-1:06 Intro
1:06-3:36 Rise of He Jiankui
3:36-8:00 Creating HIV resistant Embryos
8:00-13:02 Leaking He's Secret Experiments
13:02-17:02 Are the genetically-modified embryos HIV resistant?
17:02-18:59 He's downfall and comeback


References:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_...

About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.