China has suspended the research activities of the scientists who claimed to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies, state-run Xinhua news reported Thursday.
“The gene-edited twins matter reported by the media has brazenly violated Chinese laws and regulations and breached the science ethics bottom line, which is both shocking and unacceptable,” said Xu Nanping, vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Xinhua reported.
He, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, claims to have used a gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-cas9, which can insert or deactivate certain genes. CRISPR has been hailed as an innovation with tremendous potential, but many in the scientific community believe the technology is still experimental and not ready for human application.
