China Orders Complete Discontinuation of Research on Gene Editing

The Chinese ministry of science has ordered that everyone researching gene editing must discontinue their activities right away.

The order came from the organizers of a biomedical conference. A Chinese scientist claimed to have created the world’s first-ever genetically edited babies. His work was denounced as irresponsible by the organizers of that conference, followed by the orders of discontinuing any research on gene-editing.

A statement was issued by the organizers of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing on the last day of the conference. It said that He Jiankui’s claim of having created the world’s first genetically modified babies was extremely disturbing.

While speaking to the summit, Dr. He claimed that he used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR. This technology alters the DNA of twin girls born to a father with HIV. According to him, this technology will keep the newborn children from contracting HIV from their father. HIV is a virus that results in AIDS. Before speaking to the summit, the researcher has made such a claim in an online video.

While speaking to his colleagues, he disclosed that he had conducted this research in secret before bringing it in the public’s eye. He also added that his work has not been verified independently. Neither has he submitted the report to a science journal where it could undergo an expert examination.

In a statement, the organizers of the conference said that even if Dr. He’s research got verified, the procedure would still be irresponsible. Furthermore, it failed to comply with the international norms on gene editing. Dr. He was supposed to speak to the media before the conference, but he refused to do so.

Ever since he has spoken about his work, it has been heavily criticized. Dr. He works for the University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. The university says that he has been on unpaid leave for more than 10 months. His research has been denounced by the school, for it violated the academic norms and code of conduct.  The Chinese government, on the other hand, has been urging the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of his work on gene-editing.

Gene-editing allows one to remove inherited diseases from the gene pool. However, scientists and ethicists believe that it would create designer babies. They are worried that gene-editing might alter genes in a way that has unpredictable outcomes.