A single sperm donor carrying a rare cancer-causing genetic mutation has fathered nearly 200 children across Europe. The man, known as Donor 7069 or "Kjeld," had the mutation in his sperm, which is extremely rare, occurring in just 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 20,000 cases.
The investigation, led by French oncologist Edwige Kasper, uncovered that some of these children have already died, while many others are expected to develop deadly cancers. The mutation in question affects the TP53 gene, which plays a crucial role in preventing cancer by suppressing cell division and triggering cell death when a cell is beyond repair.
The offspring of Donor 7069 are at risk of developing various types of cancers, including brain, blood, bone, soft tissue, adrenal glands, and breast cancers. According to Kasper's findings, those who carry the mutation have up to a 90% chance of developing cancer by age 60, with half developing cancer by age 40.
The donor began donating sperm in Copenhagen in 2005, when he was a student, without knowing that he carried the rare mutation. His sperm was used in 67 fertility clinics across 14 countries, including Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Albania, and Kosovo. While the true number of offspring is expected to be higher than the 197 children identified so far.
Kasper and her team are now working to identify and contact all of these children to ensure they can access critical monitoring and screening, which could increase their chances of survival. The investigation highlights the importance of genetic screening in fertility clinics and raises concerns about the risks associated with using sperm from individuals carrying rare mutations.
The investigation, led by French oncologist Edwige Kasper, uncovered that some of these children have already died, while many others are expected to develop deadly cancers. The mutation in question affects the TP53 gene, which plays a crucial role in preventing cancer by suppressing cell division and triggering cell death when a cell is beyond repair.
The offspring of Donor 7069 are at risk of developing various types of cancers, including brain, blood, bone, soft tissue, adrenal glands, and breast cancers. According to Kasper's findings, those who carry the mutation have up to a 90% chance of developing cancer by age 60, with half developing cancer by age 40.
The donor began donating sperm in Copenhagen in 2005, when he was a student, without knowing that he carried the rare mutation. His sperm was used in 67 fertility clinics across 14 countries, including Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Albania, and Kosovo. While the true number of offspring is expected to be higher than the 197 children identified so far.
Kasper and her team are now working to identify and contact all of these children to ensure they can access critical monitoring and screening, which could increase their chances of survival. The investigation highlights the importance of genetic screening in fertility clinics and raises concerns about the risks associated with using sperm from individuals carrying rare mutations.
this is wild! a guy don't even know he had that bad DNA lol what's up with him donating sperm like he was at some kind of charity event? 
anyway, these kids are gonna have to live their best lives with cancer looming over them all the time, no thanks. 
90% chance by age 60? that's not exactly a guarantee of happiness or long life lol. kasper and her team gotta do better to find all these offspring and keep an eye on 'em 
this is insane! I mean, think about it, one guy donates sperm without even knowing he has a cancer-causing gene, and then millions of people have kids with him... I'm trying to process how this could happen in the first place 
. And now we're dealing with a whole bunch of people who are at risk of getting sick or dying from cancers that are super rare but still super deadly 
.
And now we gotta deal with all these families finding out that their "biological father" could be a ticking time bomb 
.
. And can you imagine the emotional toll on these people? I'm just worried about all of them 
.
Kasper's team doing their best to identify all these kids and get them the help they need is super appreciated 
. This whole thing is like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off... we need more awareness about genetic screening in fertility clinics ASAP! 
. And to think that so many more kids are out there with this condition too... it's like, totally not fair 
. I hope these parents and families are getting the support they need for all this 
.
. I hope Kasper and her team can get all the affected kids checked out ASAP so they can get the help they need 
. we need more awareness about genetic testing in fertility clinics 
.
. This whole situation is just really eye-opening, you know?
I mean imagine being one of those parents trying to find out you have a kid with cancer 
. And to think that some of them have already passed away... it's just devastating 
. It's crazy that someone didn't even know they had this mutation themselves 
.
. This should be a major wake-up call for everyone involved in fertility clinics and sperm donation. We can't keep relying on luck and hope that someone checks their DNA before donating 
... was he aware of his health risks? did he ever consider stopping donations? so many questions 
and now there's over 200 kids who might be sposed to die from cancer before they even reach 40? 
.
I'm all for helping people have kids, but come on, we're already dealing with enough issues with gene editing and genetic testing. Now we're gonna be tracking down 200+ kids who might've inherited some deadly mutation from a random sperm donor? 
, like regular check-ups and screenings. It's crazy that some of them have already passed away 
.
.