Sperm donor with cancer-causing gene fathers nearly 200 children
12 hours ago
- #genetics
- #sperm donation
- #cancer risk
- A Danish sperm donor with a rare genetic mutation linked to high cancer risk fathered at least 197 children across Europe.
- The mutation in the TP53 gene, associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, increases lifetime cancer risk up to 90%.
- The donor's sperm was distributed by the European Sperm Bank (ESB) to 67 clinics in 14 countries from 2006 to 2022.
- The genetic defect was discovered after children conceived with the donor's sperm were diagnosed with cancer.
- Up to 20% of the donor's sperm carries the mutation, meaning any child conceived from those sperm will have the mutation in every cell.
- Some children linked to the donor have developed cancer, with some cases resulting in death at a very early age.
- The case highlights concerns over the lack of a unified European limit on children conceived from a single donor.
- Experts criticize the breakdown in the reporting system that allowed such widespread use of the donor's sperm.