He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist jailed after claiming to create the world’s first gene-edited human babies in 2018, announced on Friday he will speak at England’s Oxford University in early 2023.
Researchers from the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences claimed in a recently published study to have developed a gene-editing method that is allegedly “more efficient and safer” than established techniques because it uses the CRISPR gene-editing tool to target RNA instead of DNA, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Wednesday.
Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui — sentenced to three years in prison in December 2019 for “illegal medical practice” after using the CRISPR gene-editing system to alter the DNA of human embryos — may be “released” from prison in the “near future,” China’s state-run Global Times reported on Monday citing unnamed sources.
The Chinese communist regime confirmed on Monday that He Jiankui, a biophysicist who claimed to produce the world’s first genetically modified babies, had been convicted of several crimes and would serve three years in prison.
Chinese state media announced Monday that a court in southern Shenzhen sentenced He Jiankui, a rogue biophysicist, to three years in prison for claims he illegally edited the genes of twins in utero.
China took center stage in the debate over the ethics of genetic engineering with the revelation that scientist He Jiankui edited the genes of human embryos to make them immune to HIV.
On Monday, just hours after Chinese authorities confirmed the birth of twin girls whose DNA was purportedly edited by scientist He Jiankui, the university that employed Jiankui announced his termination.
Rice University launched an investigation this week into one of its professors who claimed he assisted Chinese researcher He Jiankui in creating the world’s first genetically altered babies.
A group of Chinese scientists has announced the first successful creation of babies with human-modified DNA using the CRISPR gene-editing tool.
