Russian tech billionaire and Telegram messaging service founder, Pavel Durov, claims to have fathered “hundreds of children” through sperm donation. He now plans to fund in-vitro fertilisation for single women using his own genetic material in a move that geneticists is a potential “gene pool timebomb.”
In a blog post published earlier this month, the Telegram founder revealed that he had already “quietly” donated sperm to facilitate the births of “hundreds of healthy children” and expressed willingness to expand this effort by paying for IVF procedures.
“Many single women dream of becoming mothers, but face difficulties in choosing a worthy father for their future children,” Durov wrote. “I’m ready to cover the costs of IVF for such women.”
Durov did not disclose details of how the existing sperm donations were organised, nor did he indicate whether the recipients were known to him or anonymous. He also did not specify the number of clinics or countries involved.
Ancha Baranova, a professor at the School of Systems Biology at George Mason University, said Durov should publish his full genome data to allow independent experts to assess it for possible hereditary risks and genetic defects.
“He should publish his genome data so experts can assess potential mutations and health risks,” she told Russian-language news outlet Podyom on December 24.
Baranova warned that mass use of a single donor’s DNA could trigger a “founder effect,” a genetic bottleneck that raises the likelihood of recessive disorders.
“If many children are born from the same donor, there is a danger of the so-called founder effect,” she said. “In a closed population, recessive mutations begin to appear more often.”
She noted that while there was no evidence of health concerns in Durov’s case, transparency was essential. “The problem is not in him personally, but in the consequences of multiple use of the same genome,” Baranova added.
Durov, who is estimated to be worth $15.5bn according to Forbes, has not responded publicly to the concerns. Known for his libertarian views and strict personal privacy, he has not released any health or genetic data to date.
The increasingly controversial Durov was arrested earlier this year in France on charges of promoting child pornography as he got off his private jet at Le Bourget outside Paris, accompanied by his girlfriend. They were making a stopover on the way from Azerbaijan on the way back to his home in St Petersburg.
Durov was charged with 12 counts of failing to cooperate with a French police investigation and complicity in a number of crimes, including drug trafficking, distribution of child pornography and fraud, according to the French charge sheet released on August 26. French police were investigating the use of Telegram to distribute illegal child pornography, but Durov has an extreme policy of non-interference into what users post and refuses to block users, even if their activity is illegal.
He was later released and allowed to return to Dubai, where Telegram is now headquartered, after promising to cooperate with the French investigation.
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