197 Kids Born From Sperm Donor With a Dangerous Gene
(Getty Images / dzika_mrowka)
A sperm donor whose donations were used to conceive at least 197 children across Europe unknowingly carried a cancer-linked genetic mutation, according to a cross-border investigation by European journalists and public broadcasters.
The anonymous donor, identified as donor 7069, began donating sperm to Denmark’s European Sperm Bank in 2005 while he was a university student. Over the next 17 years, his sperm was distributed to 67 fertility clinics in 14 countries. He passed all required medical screenings and remains healthy.
However, later analysis found that up to 20 percent of his sperm carried a damaged TP53 gene. This gene normally helps prevent cells from becoming cancerous. Children conceived with the affected sperm inherited the mutation in every cell of their bodies, according to medical experts cited by the BBC.
The mutation causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can carry up to a 90 percent lifetime risk of developing cancer. Cancers can appear in childhood and may include breast cancer later in life. Doctors involved in the case say many of the affected children have already developed cancer, and some have died. CBS News reports that most children who carry the mutation are expected to develop cancer at some point and will require lifelong annual screenings.
The case emerged after clinicians treating donor-conceived children with Li-Fraumeni syndrome raised concerns at a genetics conference. Journalists from 14 European public broadcasters, including the BBC, then investigated and confirmed at least 197 children linked to the donor, though the actual number may be higher.
The European Sperm Bank said the mutation could not have been detected through standard preventative genetic screening and noted that neither the donor nor his relatives are ill. The bank said the donor was immediately barred from donating once the mutation was identified and expressed its “deepest sympathy” to affected families.
The bank also acknowledged that limits on the number of families allowed to use a single donor were exceeded in some countries. In Belgium, where the legal limit is six families per donor, the sperm was used by 38 women, resulting in 53 children.
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