US EditionSperm Donor With Cancer-Causing Mutation Conceived 197 Children
Nearly 200 children were conceived with sperm carrying a rare TP53 mutation linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, causing high cancer risk and some early deaths, investigators said.
- The European Sperm Bank confirmed donor 7069 fathered at least 197 children across 14 countries, with samples carrying a rare TP53 mutation linked to Li‑Fraumeni syndrome, and blocked him in October 2023.
- Routine donor screening excludes TP53 gene, so donor 7069's mosaic TP53 mutation went undetected; no international donor registry or caps and commercial incentives drove wide export by large sperm banks.
- Doctors reported that ten children diagnosed with cancer, 23 of 67 known affected donor‑conceived children carried the variant, and quarantine of remaining samples followed uneven clinic notification.
- Denmark authorities notified the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on Tuesday, Belgian authorities opened investigations, and advocacy groups demand Europe-wide caps amid the ESB acknowledging exceeded limits.
- The broader social fallout includes donor half‑siblings and families facing lifelong screening protocols with annual MRI and ultrasounds, as children who inherit the TP53 mutation face Li‑Fraumeni syndrome, up to 90% lifetime cancer risk.
134 Articles
134 Articles
Over the past 17 years, nearly 200 children have been born in Europe from a sperm donor, who may have passed on a genetic mutation that significantly increases the risk of cancer, as a result of a joint investigation of 14 European media outlets (including BBC and Deutsche Welle).
A sperm donor with a genetic alteration associated with a high risk of developing cancer would have generated nearly 200 children in different European countries, according to data disseminated this week by various international media, including the BBC. The situation has triggered alarm among affected families. The identified mutation affects the TP53 gene, a fundamental element for the body’s natural defense against tumour formation. When this…
A Danish sperm donor carries a rare gene mutation that increases the risk of cancer. Now, research shows that his sperm was apparently sold in 14 countries, two children are ill. For more than two years, it has not been approved for artificial fertilization.
An alert was launched after detection of a genetic mutation in a sample of semen from an anonymous Danish donor. If this man is a healthy carrier, the children he designed indirectly pose an increased risk of developing cancer. The donor's gametes, sold in 14 countries, gave birth to 197 babies. - Designed with a Danish donor, nearly 200 children at risk of cancer (International).
In Europe, at least 197 children were conceived over a 17-year period using donor sperm that, without their knowledge, contained an inherited gene mutation that increases the risk of cancer.
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