China’s “Dr Frankenstein,” He Jiankui, the scientist at the centre of a global controversy after claiming he produced the world’s first genetically edited babies, defended his work Wednesday and revealed a second woman was potentially pregnant as a result of his research.
C hina’s “Dr Frankenstein,” He Jiankui, the scientist at the centre of a global controversy after claiming he produced the world’s first genetically edited babies, defended his work Wednesday and revealed a second woman was potentially pregnant as a result of his research.
“For this case, I feel proud,” said Mr He, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, in a speech to hundreds at the Human Genome Editing Summit in Hong Kong. “This study has been submitted to a scientific journal for review,” he said, without naming the journal.
Mr He’s claims of producing two gene-edited twin baby girls, dubbed ”Lulu” and “Nana,” and a second patient in “early stages” of pregnancy have stunned the world.
Though unconfirmed as they have yet to be peer-reviewed and published, if true, his work would be a massive breakthrough in biomedical research.
It’s also re-ignited worldwide debate about the enforcement of ethics and regulation of safety in such cutting edge work.
