Chinese Scientist Claims He's Created World’s First Gene-Edited Babies

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, He Jiankui is reflected in a glass panel as he works at a computer at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. He helped make world's first genetically edited babies: twin girls whose DNA he said he altered. He revealed it Monday, Nov. 26, in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing. (Credit: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A Chinese researcher says he used the gene editing technology CRISPR to alter the DNA of twin girls born earlier this month when the babies were embryos. If the scientist’s claims prove true, the newborns are the world’s first humans to be genetically modified as embryos. It would be a significant step, and it's raised widespread ethical concerns among researchers. He Jiankui, the scientist who led the effort, announced the outcome in a promotional video on YouTube Sunday, just days ahead of participating in an international conference on human genome editing scheduled to take place this week in Hong Kong. An independent confirmation of He’s assertion is not yet available nor has he published his results in a journal where other researchers could evaluate the claim. The Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China where He is an associate professor released a statement indicating the institution was unaware of He’s research and that the scientist has been on unpaid leave since February of this year, circumstances that will continue through January 2021.