Chinese Researchers Experiment with Making HIV-Proof Embryos
▻https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601235/chinese-researchers-experiment-with-making-hiv-proof-embryos
Chinese fertility doctors have tried to make HIV-proof human embryos, but the experiments ended in a bust. The new report is the second time researchers in China revealed that they had a go at making genetically modified human embryos.
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The Chinese scientists tried to make human embryos resistant to HIV by editing a gene called CCR5. It’s known that some people possess versions of this gene which makes them immune to the virus, which causes AIDS. The reason is they no longer make a protein that HIV needs to enter and hijack immune cells.
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One day endowing people with protective genes could become a real possibility. It would be like a vaccine, except one that is installed in a person’s genome from birth. And there’s a long list of genes people might demand for their children in addition to HIV resistance. One DNA change, for instance, seems to completely prevent Alzheimer’s. Another generates people with twice the muscle mass.
“Made in China”
#CCR5 #Chine #Clustered_Regularly_Interspaced_Short_Palindromic_Repeats #Embryon #Guangzhou_Medical_University #Génétique_humaine #Organisme_génétiquement_modifié #Recherche_scientifique #Syndrome_d'immunodéficience_acquise #Virus_de_l'immunodéficience_humaine
