Does the birth of CCR5 gene editing baby really mean that human beings will eliminate HIV?

The People's Daily reported that the world's first genetically edited baby immune to AIDS was born in China.

This statement has not been independently confirmed by other parties, but the researchers themselves revealed the news to the outside world. But if it's true, it's big news.

It refers to the modification of the genes of fertilized eggs or early embryos by CRISPR gene editing technology. This technology has been done by many researchers before, but it will stop at a very early stage of embryonic development. This is the first time that the embryo is completely developed until birth.

What gene was edited this time?

The gene encoding CCR5 protein was modified into its variant CCR5 δ 32, in which the triangle is the Greek capital letter "Delta", which means it lacks 32 base pairs.

CCR5 is the gene responsible for immunity, and CCR5 δ 32 mutation already exists in nature. The researchers found that CCR5 δ 32 has a short history, only about 1000 years, and its frequency has been increasing rapidly in history, indicating that it should be a good thing on the whole.

CCR5 δ 32 is obtained by editing.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The biggest advantage is that the person who owns it is very resistant to HIV- 1. It cannot be said that this means complete immunity to AIDS-there are many strains-HIV-but this resistance is obvious. Unfortunately, it can't protect the most popular strains in China. Considering that HIV has been transmitted to people for only a few decades, this does not explain that it has become more and more frequent in history, so it should also be beneficial to some epidemic situations in history.

CCR 5δ32 also has shortcomings, which will adversely affect the inflammatory response after infection. For example, after being infected by some flavivirus viruses (such as West Nile virus or encephalitis virus carried by ticks), the probability of serious symptoms is high. The death rate of influenza may also increase.

Now HIV is a serious public health problem in the world, so it should be a good thing to increase CCR5 δ 32 in the population, but it is hard to say for specific individuals, especially newborn babies. After all, not everyone is a high-risk group of AIDS, and it is entirely possible for a person to live a more dangerous life than HIV.

What's more, editing with CRISPR is inherently risky.

Technically, genetically editing embryos is nothing new. The breakthrough we are waiting for is not the clip itself, but how to avoid missing the goal. It is not clear whether this new experiment has made a breakthrough.

In daily reality, this will not bring about any big changes. HIV drug resistance is not a particularly prominent feature, and this gene already exists in the population. The characteristics of "designing a baby" that we really care about, such as appearance or IQ, are too complicated to be designed in a short time (unless you are willing to completely copy Einstein or Hawking's genes).

What is really worrying is the lack of supervision exposed in this case. Stem cell therapy is also a promising new medical technology, but due to the lack of domestic supervision, many black-hearted clinics are carrying out expensive and useless (even harmful) so-called treatment in its name.