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Related: About this forumUS Nobelist was told of gene-edited babies
Source: Associated Press
AP Exclusive: US Nobelist was told of gene-edited babies
By CANDICE CHOI and MARILYNN MARCHIONE
January 28, 2019
Long before the claim of the worlds first gene-edited babies became public, Chinese researcher He Jiankui shared the news with a U.S. Nobel laureate who objected to the experiment yet remained an adviser to Hes biotech company.
The revelation that another prominent scientist knew of the work, which was widely condemned when it was revealed, comes as scientists debate whether and how to alert troubling research, and the need for clearer guidelines.
Emails obtained by The Associated Press under a public records request show that Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts learned about the pregnancy last April from He in a message titled Success!
Im glad for you, but Id rather not be kept in the loop on this, Mello replied. You are risking the health of the child you are editing ... I just dont see why you are doing this. I wish your patient the best of luck for a healthy pregnancy.
Mello stayed on as a scientific adviser for Hes Direct Genomics company for eight more months, until December, just after news of the births became public and drew international scorn. The Chinese scientists gene-editing work was not a company experiment. He tried to alter the genes of twin girls to help them resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/3f3bdc73e7c84fe685f2813510329d62
RockRaven
(15,093 posts)"I'm glad for you, but I'd rather not be kept in the loop on this" is going to get more attention than his admonishment. And probably should. Because an appropriate response would have been just the admonishment (and then some), not the warm fuzzy feelings and a request for plausible deniability.
From what I've seen, heard, and read from other sources, this undertaking is an bioethical horror show. And the fact that Mello stayed on for eight more months, and only left as an advisor after the widespread and justified (as far as I can tell from what's publicly available) uproar is NOT exactly awe inspiring. If he had ethical concerns, he should have cut ties sooner. If he didn't have ethical concerns, he's a f-ing moral monster (again, this judgement is based on what's been made public so far).
Pachamama
(16,887 posts)...immediately and resigned from his company and spoken out vigorously.
He didnt care - in fact, it feels like he was excited about the pregnancy and he said nothing beyond a bare attempt for plausible deniability.