Lulu and Nana: First genetically modified babies born in China, researcher says

It will be years, perhaps a decade at least, before Lulu and Nana can begin to understand how they are different from the rest of us. Born this month in China, the twin girls are said to carry genes -- strands of DNA code -- that were altered for HIV-immunity with an "editing" tool when they were still single-cell embryos not yet inside their mother's womb. At least that's what He Jiankui, one of the researchers involved, says. The Associated Press (AP), which first reported his claims, says there is no independent confirmation yet. But if He Jiankui has done what he says he has, an MIT publication opines, he's scripted a "stunning medical achievement". How were Lulu's and Nana's genes modified? The inner life of cells is difficult to explain without jargon, but He Jiankui (himself a father of two girls) does a fairly commendable job. He said an egg from the twins' mother, Grace, was fertilized artificially with sperm from their HIV-positive dad. Along with the sperm, He's team "also sent in a little bit of protein and instructions for a gene surgery," one that "removed the doorway through which HIV enters to infect people". A test conducted before the embryos were implanted inside their mother showed the procedure had "worked safely, just as intended". (Read More)