The world's first genetic technology "custom baby" is about to be born

Dr. Helen and Matthew, a British couple who had a family history of breast cancer, bred a "custom baby" to eliminate the hidden dangers of breast cancer. The doctors at University College Hospital in London used preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) technology. The child is expected to be born this week. This is the first "custom baby" to prevent the genetics of breast cancer after the British government relaxed restrictions on the screening of human embryos. The birth of the baby has caused an uproar.

PGD ​​manufactures "custom baby"

According to reports, the mother of "Custom Baby" is 27 years old and is 28 years old. He has a family history of breast cancer and his grandmother, mother, aunt, and cousin have diagnosed this fatal disease around the age of 20. Since her husband is a carrier of breast cancer genes, if the couple is naturally pregnant, the chance of their child carrying this fatal gene is 50%%. If the girl is born, her chance of developing breast cancer is 80%. %. To protect future children from threats, the couple decided to “immunize” them before they were born.

Doctors at the University College Hospital in London used preimplantation genetic diagnosis to help the couple develop a "custom baby" that eliminates hidden breast cancer. Physicians created fertilized eggs by in vitro fertilization, followed by screening of these fertilized eggs, screening out lethal genes, and transferring only healthy genes to the uterus. The sex of the baby is unclear.

The doctors first examined the husband's family history, figured out the breast cancer genes he carried, and then let his wife take the drugs to increase the productivity of the eggs and obtain 15 fertilized eggs through artificial insemination. Three days later, the doctor took one cell from each fertilized egg and then passed a DNA test to remove the fertilized egg containing the oncogene. Finally, the doctor chooses two healthy fertilized eggs to be implanted in the wife's uterus and a healthy "custom baby" can be bred.

Paul Shehar, a fertility specialist at the hospital, led the operation. Shehar has already created infants who have eliminated both eye and bowel cancer. She said that conducting this experiment is also a big test for parents. Parents must receive genetic counseling. Before pregnancy, they must also conduct many psychological counseling and counseling sessions. .

Renewed controversy

Although the baby is still unborn, the voices from various parties are still heard. Xiehar said that this pioneering approach will make more families healthier and many couples may benefit from embryonic PGD. PGD ​​has been used only for genes that cause incurable diseases such as cystic fibrosis and the like. Two years ago, the British Fertility and Embryology Authority, the UK birth control agency, relaxed the restrictions on the use of PGD.

Physicians can now screen for genes that increase prevalence. They can also look for fertilized eggs that are not perfect but may cause disease later in life, including genes that have a low probability of developing Alzheimer's disease.

But another expert warned that this technology is not suitable for couples with this type of cancer in all households. PGD ​​is a stage in which the embryo develops to eight cells—one cell is taken out for testing 3 days after gestation. Using PGD can ensure that babies do not carry mutated genes and are protected from genetic diseases. However, Xiehar said that not carrying the mutated BRCA1 gene does not guarantee that female infants will not develop breast cancer in the future because of other genetic and environmental factors.

Anti-abortion people claim that morally and ethically speaking, it is wrong to remove imperfect babies. They say that in this technology, unhealthy fertilized eggs will die. This is tantamount to murder.

Others think that this is a step forward toward customizing infants with certain colors such as eyes or hair, and they are deeply concerned about this. However, Xiehar said: "Here, PGD is mainly aimed at this serious disease such as breast cancer, not for a certain physical feature, and we will not screen for some non-meaningful or unrelated genes."

The infant's father, Matthew, is a biologist. He said: “I really understand the argument. The cancer may not erupt for 30 years, but our children may face threats for life if we have the opportunity to stop It is unfair to our children if this kind of thing happens without doing it. Moreover, it is totally different from the genes that remove breast cancer genes and pick blue or brown eyes."

Joseph Quintavale, a nonprofit ethical commentator, said: “What we need is a cure for breast cancer, not a person with breast cancer or a fertilized egg. I’m sure that by the time the baby grows up, we will have been able to Cure for breast cancer. We are making continuous progress in curing breast cancer."