Overview
- European Sperm Bank said it supplied the donor’s samples to 67 clinics in 14 countries and blocked his use in November 2023 after detecting a TP53 alteration, issuing an apology to families.
- Clinicians have reported multiple pediatric cancers among affected children and some deaths, with the cases linked to Li‑Fraumeni syndrome.
- Geneticists report the donor carried a mosaic TP53 mutation present in up to about 20% of his sperm, a pattern unlikely to be detected by screening in place when he began donating in 2005.
- National data show legal caps were exceeded, including 10 births in Spain out of 35 conceptions despite a six‑birth limit and 53 births in Belgium against a six‑family cap.
- Health authorities and professional bodies are tracing and notifying families and are calling for international registries, stricter donor limits and improved genetic testing protocols.