Chinese scientist He Jiankui

The Chinese scientist who claimed to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison, a year after his research created a storm in the global scientific community.  He Jiankui, the scientist at the center of the controversy, and his two partners were convicted of “illegal practice of medicine” on Thursday for carrying out experiments that resulted in the births of three gene-edited babies, according to the state news agency Xinhua.  He Jiankui, former associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, shocked the world in November 2018 when he announced that he had edited a pair of twin girls’ genes to prev

At the end of 2018, Chinese researcher He Jiankui roiled the scientific world by announcing he had helped make the world’s first gene-edited babies, altering the DNA of Chinese twin girls to try to make them resistant to HIV, the virus that causes Aids. The scandal brought attention to the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges of research into gene editing, with a panel convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general saying in March that it would be “irresponsible” for scientists to use gene editing for reproductive purposes. Beijing has since tightened its laws on genetic engineering, drafting new rules in the past year to tackle the previously loosely regulated

The whereabouts of a rogue Chinese scientist and his “gene-edited babies” remain a mystery, as the release of more of his research data triggers renewed discussions of his attempt to create the first gene-edited babies.  He Jiankui, former associate professor of life science at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, shocked the world last year when he announced that he had edited the genes of the twin girls to prevent them from inheriting HIV from their father. The claim unleashed a storm of criticism from the international scientific community for the unsafe and unethical use of the technology. Soon after He announced his “success” in creating the world’s first

China is tightening rules on gene-editing, after a Chinese scientist prompted a global outcry by claiming that he had edited the genes of a pair of newborn twins. In a draft regulation released this week, China’s National Health Commission proposed a stringent approval process for biomedical research and heavy penalties for scientists who evade oversight. The proposal, which is now up for public consultation, was made after “China’s Dr. Frankenstein” He Jiankui said he had edited the genes of two twin baby girls in order to grant them HIV resistance.  The experiment was widely condemned for being both unsafe and unethical. Scholars have questioned if Beijing is able to keep researchers with

Imagine: the rogue scientist who stops at nothing to push the bounds of technology – and ethics. His frenzied research leads to the birth of twins– but inadvertently gives them mental abilities far beyond those of the average human. This is no superhero movie. Instead these may have been the actions of controversial Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who shocked the world when he claimed last November to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies. Now it turns out he may have unintentionally enhanced the brains of the children whose genes he altered. He, who was found to have “seriously violated” Chinese laws in the pursuit of his work, likely changed the cognitive functions of twin girls

Chinese scientist He Jiankui shook the world last month when he claimed that he had created the world’s first gene-edited babies. On Thursday, He was named by the science journal Nature as a member of a select group of 10 people “who mattered” in 2018. But unlike the nine other nominees, mostly scientists, He stands out on the list as a figure whose work’s impact on humanity is questionable at best. Nature called the Chinese scientist the “CRISPR rogue,” referring to the shorthand for the technique he claimed to have used to edit the genes of embryos that have resulted in the birth of twin girls, Lulu and Nana. The other nine people on the list include scientists who advanced the understand

Dr He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies, has received at least $40 million (298 million yuan) in funding for his two biotech start-ups from Chinese and international investors.  He has defended his work against a chorus of criticism from scientists, who questioned the ethics and medical justification for his use of gene-editing technology on humans.  The global gene modification therapy market is rapidly growing and is expected to reach $17.4 billion by the end of 2023, according to BCC Research. This doesn’t include editing human embryos and implanting them in a mother’s womb, which is banned in much of the world. He claimed that

After lying low since news of the possible creation of the world’s first gene-edited babies broke this week, the Chinese researcher behind the controversial experiment has resurfaced in Hong Kong to justify his actions. He Jiankui, dubbed in some corners “China’s Dr Frankenstein,” told a packed auditorium at an international genome editing conference that he was “proud” of his research, which some fellow scientists have criticized as unethical or even monstrous. “There are millions of families with inherited diseases or exposure to infectious disease. If we have the technology and can make it available, then this will help people,” He told hundreds of people at the University of Hong Kong.

The world of science was rocked this week when a Chinese scientist named He Jiankui announced that he had created the first gene-edited babies. The twins had their DNA edited when they were embryos to make them more resistant to HIV infection, the researcher claimed. But many in the scientific community were appalled by the experiment. The university in southern China that he is affiliated with has distanced itself from the announcement and is investigating what happened. So far, Dr He has not published any research on the project, nor have his claims been independently verified. But if his claims are proven to be true, these babies would be the first gene-edited humans ever to be born. He s