The future will be eugenics _ a challenge for Ethic Committees

In a recent blog, I wished good luck to the new President of the French Advisory National Ethics Committee, PR. Delfraissy, about a questionable judgment concerning the volunteering of umbilical blood donation policy adopted by the CCNE. But the end of the year 2016 brought two scientific important events, one fairly adverstised, the other more technical and rather unnoticed, that concern at the highest point, because both entail the impartial observer to a certainty. : our future societies will be eugenic, rest to know to what extent and why?

The first three parents babies

In April 2016 was born the first baby with three parents - but the birth was announced on 27 September 2016 by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. An international medical team led by Dr. John Zhang, New Hope Fertility Center in New York, has used a novel genetic transfer technique to avoid mother to give birth to a child  with Leigh or Encephalomyopathie Subacute Necrotizing syndrome genes, causing a rapid loss of brain capacity and death after excruciating pain in a few year - sick children do seldom reach an age of seven/eight years. One of the most serious forms is the result of a genetic defect in mitochondria, the energy factory of the cell, and these defective  mitochondria, are only passed on by mothers- mitochondrial DNA is different from DNA in the nucleus of cells.

Dr. Zhang has invented a Protocol consisting in taking an ovule from a woman that can transmit the Leigh disease, removing the core and the genes it contains and transfering it into a healthy donor ovule, deprived of its nucleus, but keeping healthy mitochondrial DNA. The ovule was then fertilized by the father and carried by the mother. Thus the newborn has inherited genetic heritage of his  both parents and healthy mitochondrial DNA of the ovule donor. Five embryos were prepared in this way, one was healthy and has been successfully transferred. The operation is illegal in the USA, it was conducted at the Mexico - Fortunately, there was not wall yet !

The French and European press generally reported this success with a lot of reservations (a technique that poses serious questions etc.) Then, this: the couple who has resorted to this technique had already had two children who died of the disease of Leigh and the mother had suffered two other miscarriages.

So Welcome to the world to  little Abrahim Hassan, and hope for him –There are still uncertainties, for example  interferences between cell and mitochondrial DNA are not well known. But, if this technique works, Dr. Zhang and Hassan parents will be heroes of humanity as Pasteur and Joseph Meister. On behalf of what research and experimentation on this technique should be banned? In France and not in  England?  This  cannot hold any longer.

Hundreds of embryos from mice skin cells...

Another major  scientific event of last year was the result of the work of Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyushu University and his team. (Mouse eggs made from skin cells in a dish (Nature 538, 301 (20 October 2016) : mice ovules have been created  from embryonic stem cells and from reprogrammed skin cells taken from the tails of mice ! A chemical "soup" was then restored, reproducing the natural environment of an ovary to encourage the stem cells to turn into follicles. As expected, healthy ovules were harvested in these follicles.

The Japanese team then fertilized the ovules with mouse sperm, and thus obtained hundreds of embryos at the earliest stages of their development. then, 300 of them aged two days have been implanted in female mice "carriers".

In total, the experiment resulted in 11 embryos, all leading to birth of viable and fertile  mice, themselves able to become pregnant and give birth to a second generation. It's the first time that man has been able to develop in the lab fully mature and fertilized ovules and this from non sexual cells –skin cells !! Even if we are still far from the creation of human embryos from reprogrammed skin cells- this is coming ! “Someday this approach could be useful to women who lost their fertility at an early age, as well as to improve the more conventional infertility treatments,"says Richard Anderson Professor of science of clinical reproduction at the University of Edinburgh.

We already know how to sort embryos in the early stages to avoid certain malformations or genetic diseases... or choose the sex of a child. But real eugenics was severely limited by the number of embryo - sorting four, five, six embryos severely limit the possibilities. However, with the experience of Dr. Hayashi, it will be possible to obtain several hundred embryos; eugenics then becomes possible.

Eugenics becomes possible, then it will part of our future

So it will be. I don't see any example of technique invented by' man who has not been applied - and especially, and for good reason, if it allows to address dramatic problems such as mitochondrial diseases. And, as a good positivist, I also believe that intellectual, technical and moral progress go hand in hand and that, because we own the  intellectual knowledge and technical capabilities that allow eugenics, we will also use it wisely. Man has been able to limit the military  use of dum dum bullets (banned at the first Hague conference in 1899), as well as of chemical weapons, nuclear weapons.

But we should  realize what is happening, instead of indulging  in wasteful and dangerous denial, and  appreciate realistically benefits and  hazards issues. This  includes realizing the extreme danger that would represent for the human species the temptation to engineer allegedly perfect  prototypes that, in fact,  would put our species in great danger. We know from Darwin that diversity, including “imperfections”, is the best and only receipt for successful evolution -  unfavourable mutations, like thalassemia, helped save people against malaria; or gene mutation for  Chemokine  receptors (CCR5-Delta 32 Mutation), which can decrease immunity, protects against AIDS infection.

So a real job is necessary at the highest necessary point for exposure, discussion, evaluation of this future from scientists involved, ethics committees, in fact all  stakeholders. Will we make the grade? We should not wait too long to start!