Topic A Discussion: Updates with Scientist He Jiankui

Hey delegates! 

I was reading a little bit more about our first topic, genome editing and CRIPSR, when I came across this article I think you would find interesting: https://www.wired.com/story/the-crispr-baby-scientist-is-back-heres-what-hes-doing-next/. It builds off one of our case studies, He Jiankui, and what the scientist is up to having been released from prison in China. Feel free to give it a quick read, and I’ll also summarize its main points below:

Background:

  • In November 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced that he used CRISPR to edit the genetic makeup of human embryos, resulting in the birth of the world's first gene-edited babies.
  • He's actions faced swift backlash and condemnation from the scientific community as unethical, and he was found guilty of illegal medical practices by a Chinese court in December 2019 and sentenced to three years in prison.
Updates:
  • He has since been released from prison and has started a new lab in Beijing, where he plans to pursue gene therapy and gene editing to help families with rare diseases.
  • He has stated his goal is to tackle Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle loss, and aims to launch a clinical trial for DMD by 2025. He claims that his gene therapies will be offered by a not-for-profit organization and be affordable to most families.
Viewpoints:
  • The return of He to science raises questions about whether researchers who engage in extreme misconduct should be allowed back into the scientific community and how their subsequent work should be viewed.
  • Some scientists and ethicists believe He deserves a chance to prove he is capable of producing scientifically valid and ethically sound work, while others have concerns about his plans and believe he should not be allowed near any clinical trials.
  • He has not publicly apologized for his CRISPR experiments and it is unknown whether the children have any health effects related to the editing.
  • His work is being met with skepticism and some believe scientific journals should refuse to publish papers by He and organizations outside of China should deny him research grants.

Overall, I hope you found this article as interesting as I did. Feel free to recommend any good reads in the comments or offer your opinion on this one if you wish!

Best,

Ashwat Chidambaram 

IBC, BMUN 71

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Draft a Resolution (SMART)

  Hi delegates! BMUN is just around the corner, so I wanted to revisit the pinnacle document of committee: your resolutions! Before we even get into the details of your resolutions, the format and jargon about resolutions can be quite confusing (boooo), but not to worry! BMUN has a Resolution Structure document, linked here , that covers all the teeny tiny details of these papers.  When turning your solutions into operative format, we want you to keep the SMART goals in mind: S - Specific , what exactly is this operative trying to achieve? M - Measurable , how will you know when this operative is successful? Are there any specific points that will make this solution more quantifiable? A - Attainable , is this solution genuinely possible? Is that clear in your operative? R - Relevant , will this operative positively contribute to solving this problem? T - Timely , when do you expect to achieve this solution by? Are these time-constraints reasonable? When in doubt, refer back to...
Read more

Procedure and Committee Flow

  Hi Delegates! I wanted to check in with you to provide some more insight to how our committee is going to work at BMUN 71. IBC will be using Standard BMUN Procedure.  Our committee will begin by opening a running Speaker’s List (standard speaking time is 1 minute, 30 seconds) and those speeches will be followed by 2 30-second comments by other delegates. This is the default timing for the Speaker’s List and can be amended if agreed upon by the committee. The Speaker’s List can also be interrupted by Moderated Caucuses and Informal Caucuses that give delegates the opportunity to exchange opinions on policy, solutions, and more specific aspects of the topics at hand. In our committee, our dais plans on leaving the flow of committee up to you delegates, so we suggest you come prepared with specific subtopics and policies you hope to discuss! During Informal Caucus time, delegates are expected to draft and write Resolutions which will then be presented to the committee during a...
Read more

Position Paper Tips

  Hi delegates! Just wanted to check in and offer a bit more guidance on your position papers. As a reminder, IBC will be using standard Position Paper format detailed in the BMUN Committees page on the BMUN website . Besides the general format, we wanted to offer some tips on the research process and the formation of your paper.  Research The biggest favor you can do for yourself in the writing process is to really apply time and effort into understanding the topics beforehand. Luckily, your generous dias has written to key to beginning this process: your synopsis! Not only do we recommend reading this synopsis, but we hope that you will interact with it. Ask questions, make connections, reflect on what you learned. Familiarizing yourself with the synopsis is the key to a smooth research experience.  After reading the synopsis, don’t stop there! This piece is just a stepping stone for the research we hope you will complete. Maybe read some additional case studies, loo...
Read more