A man carrying a rare genetic mutation linked to cancer fathered hundreds of children across Europe, sparking calls for greater regulation and a cap on the number of births allowed from a single donor. The mutations were used by at least 46 families between 2008 and 2015, resulting in over 67 conceptions.
According to biologist Edwige Kasper, ten of the children have been diagnosed with cancer, while another 13 are carrying the gene but have not yet developed cancer. These individuals will require regular medical check-ups due to their increased risk of developing cancer.
Kasper emphasizes the need for proper regulation at a European level to prevent such occurrences in the future and implement measures to limit the number of offspring conceived from the same donor. The European Sperm Bank has implemented its own international limit of 75 families per donor, but there is currently no harmonized regulation across Europe.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/27/health/genetic-mutation-sperm-donor-scli-intl