A dozen children in the state were conceived using sperm from a donor carrying a cancer gene.

BarcelonaNearly 200 babies have been conceived in Europe over the past decade using sperm from a donor carrying a potentially deadly cancer gene. Of these, a dozen were born in Spain, according to an investigation by the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) Investigative Journalism Network published Wednesday. The man donated his sperm at the Copenhagen headquarters of the European Sperm Bank (ESB) in 2005 after passing all the required medical examinations at the time. The Danish bank then sold the sperm to various clinics across Europe, including three in Spain. The donor, identified as 7069 or Kjled, is a student who donated sperm a decade ago and carries a genetic mutation that increases the risk of developing cancer. His sperm was sold between 2006 and 2023 to 67 fertility clinics across Europe, despite some countries limiting the number of births per donor, as there is no international regulation governing this, according to an investigation by several European media outlets, including RTVE. Thirty-five children were conceived in Spain using his sperm, but only ten were born alive. In 2023, the use of this sperm was blocked after a sample was found to contain a "new and potentially fatal genetic alteration," a pathology derived from the TP53 mutation, which is Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a disease that predisposes the carrier to complications. RTVE Ann-Kathrin Klym, head of the laboratory at the Berliner Samenbank sperm bank, explained that in Spain, once the alert was received, clinics immediately blocked the samples they had received to prevent further use.

"Mass distribution"

Sources at the Ministry of Health have explained to EFE that the main reason for the high number of newborns conceived with sperm from the same donor is the "massive distribution" from the Danish sperm bank without knowing the outcome of the distributed donations, which is an "essential" element for managing a sperm bank. The other reason, they add, is that during the time this donor was donating (between 2008 and 2015), the relevant control mechanisms to prevent these situations had not been established. This changed in 2014 with new regulations from the European Parliament. quality and safety standards for donation, the obtaining, evaluation, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human cells and tissues.