美联社独家新闻：中国声称首例基因编辑婴儿（们）出生

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新闻地址（需要科学上网）：https://www.apnews.com/4997bb7aa36c45449b488e19ac83e86d

AP Exclusive: First gene-edited babies claimed in China
美联社独家新闻：中国声称首例基因编辑婴儿（们）出生

HONG KONG (AP) — A Chinese researcher claims that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls born this month whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very blueprint of life.
香港（美联社） —— 一位中国研究者宣称他帮助获得了世界上首例基因编辑婴儿——一对双胞胎女孩出生在这个月，他说他用一种强大的新工具改变了她们的DNA，这种工具可以重写生命的蓝图。

If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics.
如果这是真的，这将是科学和伦理学的一次深刻的飞跃。

A U.S. scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes.
一位美国科学家说，他参与了在中国的工作，但是这种基因编辑在美国是被禁止的，因为DNA的改变可以传给后代，而且（这种基因编辑）有可能伤害其他基因。

Many mainstream scientists think it’s too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation.
许多主流科学家认为这种尝试太不安全了，一些人谴责（这项）中国的报告是人体实验。

The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have — an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus.
来自深圳的何建奎研究人员，说他在生育治疗期间改变了七对夫妇的胚胎，迄今为止只开展了一次怀孕（实验）。他说，他的目标不是治愈或预防遗传性疾病，而是试图赋予只有少数人天生具有的特性——抵抗未来可能感染艾滋病毒的能力。

He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live or where the work was done.
他说，（研究）涉及的父母拒绝透露身份或接受采访，他不愿透露他们住在哪里，或者这项工作在哪里完成的。

Video: https://youtu.be/C9V3mqswbv0
A Chinese researcher claims that he helped make the world’s first gene-edited babies. But not everyone supports this controversial experiment. (Nov. 26)
一位中国研究人员声称他帮助培育了世界上第一批基因编辑的婴儿。但并不是每个人都支持这个有争议的实验。（11月26日）

There is no independent confirmation of He’s claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press.
目前还没有独立的证据来证实他的说法，他也没有在杂志上发表（在学术刊发成果可受到来自其他专家的审查，DNA百科网注：即同行评审，peer review）。他星期一在香港向一个基因编辑国际会议组织者透露了这一点，该会议将于星期二开始，早些时候在美联社完成独家采访。

“I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example,” He told the AP. “Society will decide what to do next” in terms of allowing or forbidding such science.
“我感到责任重大，这不仅仅是作为第一个，而且要做个范例。”他对美联社说，“社会将决定下一步该做什么”就允许或禁止这种科学（行为）而言。

Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it.
一些科学家听到这一说法感到震惊，并表示强烈谴责。

It’s “unconscionable … an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,” said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal.
这是“不合理的…”宾夕法尼亚大学基因编辑专家和遗传学杂志编辑Kiran Musunuru博士说，“这是一项在道德上或伦理上无法辩护人类的实验。”

“This is far too premature,” said Dr. Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. “We’re dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It’s a big deal.”
“这太过早了（草率），”加利福尼亚 Scripps转化医学研究所 所长Eric Topol博士说，“我们处理的是一位人类的‘操作指令’。这是个及其重大的事情。”

However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University’s George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called “a major and growing public health threat.”
然而，一位著名的遗传学家，哈佛大学的乔治·丘奇（George Church），为试图对HIV进行基因编辑（的行为）辩护，他称之为“一个重大且日益增长的公共卫生威胁”。

“I think this is justifiable,” Church said of that goal.
“我认为这是说得过去，”丘奇说到这一目标。

In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that’s causing problems.
近年来，科学家们已经发现了一种相对简单的方法来编辑基因（即管理身体的DNA链）。这个叫做CRISPR-cas9的工具，能够对DNA进行操作，用来提供所需的基因，或者使引起问题的基因失效。

It’s only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different — the changes can be inherited. In the U.S., it’s not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing.
这项技术直到最近才用于在成年人中尝试治疗致命疾病，而且这种改变只限于那个人。编辑精子、卵子或胚胎是不同的——这些变化是可以被遗传的。在美国，除了实验室研究之外，这是不允许的。中国禁止克隆人，但没有专门的（禁止）基因编辑。

He Jiankui (HEH JEE’-an-qway), who goes by “JK,” studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the U.S. before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.
贺建奎（HEH JEE’-an-qway），也被称作“JK”，他在美国的莱斯（Rice）大学和斯坦福大学学习过，回国后在深圳的中国南方科技大学开设实验室，并在深圳拥有两家基因公司。

The U.S. scientist who worked with him on this project after He returned to China was physics and bioengineering professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Deem also holds what he called “a small stake” in — and is on the scientific advisory boards of — He’s two companies.
在贺建奎回到中国后，与他一起参与这个项目的美国科学家是物理和生物工程学教授Michael Deem，是贺在位于休斯敦的莱斯大学的导师（or 顾问）。Deem 还在贺的两家公司里持有他所谓的“小股份”——他是两家公司的科学顾问委员会成员。

The Chinese researcher said he practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods.
这位中国研究人员说，他在实验室里练习编辑老鼠、猴子和人类胚胎已经有好几年了，并且已经将他的方法申请了专利。

He said he chose embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.
他说，他选择对HIV进行胚胎基因编辑是因为这些感染在中国是个大问题。他试图使一种叫做CCR5的基因失效，CCR5形成一个蛋白通道，使导致艾滋病的HIV病毒进入细胞。

All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, He said. The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes.
贺建奎说，该研究项目中的所有男性都感染了艾滋病病毒，而所有女性都没有感染病毒，但是基因编辑的目的不是为了阻止极小风险的传播。这些父亲的感染已经从标准的HIV药物中得到控制，并且有简单的方法防止他们感染他们的后代且不涉及改变基因。

Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate.
取而代之的是，（这项研究）呼吁为感染艾滋病毒的夫妇提供使他们的孩子免遭类似的命运的机会。

He recruited couples through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin. Its leader, known by the pseudonym “Bai Hua,” told the AP that it’s not uncommon for people with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections are revealed.
贺建奎通过北京一个名为Baihualin的艾滋病宣传组织招募了一些夫妇。它的领导人，以笔名“Bai Hua”而闻名，告诉美联社说，如果艾滋病毒感染者被发现，他们失去工作或难以获得医疗保健的情况并不罕见。

Here is how He described the work:
下面是贺建奎如何描述这项工作：

The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilization. First, sperm was “washed” to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added.
基因编辑发生在试管受精或培养皿受精过程中。首先，精子被“清洗”以从精液中分离出来，HIV可潜伏在精液中。将单个精子放入单个卵子中形成胚胎。然后添加基因编辑工具。

When the embryos were 3 to 5 days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved, He said.
“在胚胎发育到3～5天时，取出少数细胞进行检查和编辑。夫妇可以选择是否使用编辑或未经编辑的胚胎进行妊娠尝试。他说，总共有22个胚胎中的16个被编辑，在双胞胎怀孕之前的6个植入尝试中使用了11个胚胎”，贺建奎叙述道。

Tests suggest that one twin had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, He said. People with one copy of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests their health might decline more slowly once they do.
检测表明双胞胎中的一个（婴儿）拥有预期基因改变的两个拷贝（DNA百科网注：人类体细胞中含有两个染色体组，即一个基因两个拷贝），而双胞胎中的另一个只有一个基因改变的拷贝，此外没有证据表明对其他基因有害。贺建奎说，携带一个拷贝的人仍然可能感染上艾滋病，但是一些非常有限的研究表明一旦他们感染了艾滋病病毒，他们的健康状况下降的过程更加缓慢。

Several scientists reviewed materials that He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm.
几位科学家检查了贺建奎提供给美联社的材料，并说到目前为止的测试还不足以说明编辑工作有效或排除了危害。

They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes.
他们还指出，有证据表明，编辑工作并不完整，而且至少有双胞胎中的一个看起来是细胞嵌合体（DNA百科网注：原文含义是“细胞的混杂物/拼凑之物”），并伴有各种变化。

“It’s almost like not editing at all” if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, Church said.
丘奇（Church）说，如果只改变某些细胞，那几乎就像完全不编辑一样，因为HIV感染仍然可能发生。

Church and Musunuru questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered.
丘奇（Church）和 Musunuru 对允许其中一个胚胎用于妊娠尝试的决定表示怀疑，因为中国研究人员事先知道他们想要的基因的两个拷贝都没有改变。

“In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you’re exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,” Musunuru said.
Musunuru说：“在那个孩子身上，从防止艾滋病毒感染方面几乎没有什么收获，但是你却让那个孩子暴露在所有未知的安全风险中。”

The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers’ “main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease,” Church said.
丘奇（Church）说，对那个胚胎的使用表明研究人员“主要侧重于测试编辑技术，而不是避免这种疾病。”

Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it’s very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said.
即使编辑工作完美，没有正常CCR5基因的人面临感染某些其他病毒（如西尼罗河病毒）和死于流感的更高风险。Musunuru说，由于预防HIV感染的方法很多而且发生这种感染是可以治疗的，所以其他的医疗风险也是需要关注的。

There also are questions about the way He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it — on Nov. 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials.
也有人质疑贺建奎说他已经完成了（实验）。他在开始这项工作很久之后，于在11月8日才正式向中国临床试验注册处提交了他的工作（申请）。

It’s unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an “AIDS vaccine development” program.
目前尚不清楚参与者是否完全理解其目的、潜在的风险和好处。例如，同意书称该项目为“艾滋病疫苗开发”项目。

The Rice scientist, Deem, said he was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he “absolutely” thinks they were able to understand the risks.
莱斯（Rice）大学科学家Deem说，潜在参与者表示同意时他当时就在场，他“绝对”认为他们能够理解风险。

Deem said he worked with He on vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine.
Deem说，他同贺一起在莱斯（Rice）大学从事疫苗研究，他认为基因编辑与疫苗类似。

“That might be a layman’s way of describing it,” he said.
“这可能是用一个门外汉的方式去描述它。”他说。

Both men are physics experts with no experience running human clinical trials.
这两个人都是物理专家，并没有进行人类临床试验的经验。

The Chinese scientist, He, said he personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing has never been tried before and carries risks. He said he also would provide insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans medical follow-up until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they’re adults.
中国科学家贺建奎说，他亲自明确了目标，并告诉参与者，胚胎基因编辑从来没有尝试过，并带有风险。他说，他还将为通过该项目受孕的任何儿童提供保险，并计划进行医疗随访，直到这些儿童年满18岁，之后在他们本人的允许下可提供时间更长的服务。

Further pregnancy attempts are on hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance to try what they signed up for once a “first” was achieved, He acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered.
进一步的怀孕尝试已被搁置，直到分析出这一次怀孕的安全性并且受到该领域的专家对此进行的评估，但是参与者没有事先被告知，一旦“第一次”获得成功，他们可能没有机会尝试他们签约的内容。贺建奎承认，免费生育治疗是他们提供的一项交易的一部分。

He sought and received approval for his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which is not one of the four hospitals that He said provided embryos for his research or the pregnancy attempts.
贺建奎向深圳妇幼保健院寻求并获得批准，深圳妇幼保健院不是他所说的为他的研究提供胚胎或进行怀孕尝试的四家医院之一。

Some staff at some of the other hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which He and Deem said was done to keep some participants’ HIV infection from being disclosed.
其他一些医院的一些工作人员对这项研究的性质一无所知，贺建奎和Deem说，这是为了防止一些参与者的艾滋病毒感染（情况）被披露。

“We think this is ethical,” said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the ethics panel.
“我们认为这是合乎道德的，”Lin Zhitong说，他是一名和美医疗负责人，医学伦理小组成员。

Any medical staff who handled samples that might contain HIV were aware, He said. An embryologist in He’s lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts.
贺建奎说，任何处理可能含有艾滋病毒的样本的医务人员都已被告知。贺建奎实验室的胚胎学家Qin Jinzhou向美联社证实，他进行了精子清洗，并在一些妊娠尝试（实验中的胚胎细胞）中注射了基因编辑工具。

The study participants are not ethicists, He said, but “are as much authorities on what is correct and what is wrong because it’s their life on the line.”
贺建奎说，研究的参与人不是伦理学家，但是“对于什么是正确的，什么是错误的，他们同样具有权威性，因为他们冒着性命风险。”（DNA百科网注：it’s their life on the line类似于Put/Lay their lives on the line，有悬命一线的意思）

“I believe this is going to help the families and their children,” He said. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, “I would feel the same pain as they do and it’s going to be my own responsibility.”
“我相信这会帮助家庭和他们的孩子，”贺建奎说。如果它引起不想要的副作用或伤害，“我会和他们一样感到痛苦，这将是我的责任。”

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AP Science Writer Christina Larson, AP videographer Emily Wang and AP translator Fu Ting contributed to this report from Beijing and Shenzhen, China.
美联社科学作家Christina Larson，美联社摄影师Emily Wang和美联社翻译Fu Ting，在中国北京和深圳为这份报告作出了贡献。
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This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
这个美联社系列（Associated Press series）是与霍华德·休斯医学研究所（Howard Hughes Medical Institute）的科学教育部合作制作的。美联社对所有内容负责。