China confirms scientist genetically engineered babies — and more are on the way
Government investigators have confirmed a Chinese scientist’s claim of creating the world’s first genetically engineered babies, as well as the existence of a second pregnancy with a gene-edited embryo.
Back in November, scientist He Jiankui captured international attention when he claimed to have used the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas-9 to alter two embryos. He maintained that the alterations would protect the embryos from HIV infection later in life, though other experts say that the editing was flawed and could put the babies at risk for future health problems. Though He presented results on the twin girls (“Lulu” and “Nana”) at a genetics conference in Hong Kong, he did not release all of his data, publish his results in an academic…
