Donor passed dangerous mutation to dozens of children

Sperm donor with a rare mutation became the biological father of 67 children in eight European countries.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Tengri Life, to date, 10 of them have already been diagnosed with oncological diseases, including leukemia and lymphoma.

CNN reports that the mutation is associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome - a rare hereditary disease that significantly increases the risk of developing tumors at a young age. At the time of donation in 2008, doctors were unaware of the mutation, and standard screenings did not detect it.

The story became public after two families reported cancer diagnoses in their children. During the investigation, it was discovered that the sperm came from the European Sperm Bank, which later confirmed the presence of the mutation in the donor.

This was reported by Dr. Edwige Kasper from the University Hospital of Rouen at a conference of the European Society of Human Genetics. According to her, the case shows how important it is to limit the number of births from one donor and to introduce uniform rules for all EU countries.

According to the bank, the donor underwent extensive testing that exceeded mandatory standards, however, specialists admit: it is impossible to identify all potentially dangerous mutations if you don't know what to look for. The bank has now introduced its own limit - no more than 75 families per donor. Different countries have different standards: in France - 10, in Denmark - 12, in Germany - 15.

Of the 67 children conceived using this donor's sperm, 23 inherited the TP53 mutation. They face lifelong medical monitoring: full body and brain MRIs, abdominal ultrasounds, and breast examinations in adulthood. These measures help detect tumors at an early stage and increase chances of survival.