Recently, a man in Europe donated sperm carrying a rare carcinogenic mutation gene, giving birth to at least 67 children. Among them, 10 were diagnosed with cancer and more than 20 were confirmed to carry the mutation gene.
Two children were diagnosed with TP53 gene mutation related cancer, and their families contacted a fertility clinic after their children fell ill. These sperm were provided by the European Sperm Bank, which confirmed the presence of a TP53 variant gene in donor sperm, which may trigger Livomoenie syndrome and increase the risk of cancer. When the man donated in 2008, the association between the mutation and cancer was not yet known and could not pass standard screening tests.
At present, there is no consensus internationally on the frequency of sperm use. Recently, it has been reported that a donor is actually the father of 150 different children. Biologist Casper from the Rouen University Hospital in France has called for setting a limit on the number of births or families for a single donor within Europe. She does not advocate for whole genome sequencing of all donors, but emphasizes that this is an abnormal transmission of genetic diseases.
It is currently unclear whether the male's sperm has only been used 67 times, and the sperm bank refuses to disclose the total number of children born from his sperm.
