The first genetically engineered babies are said to be alive and well, says the guy who edited them

First GM children reportedly alive and wellCarol Yepes – Getty Images

He Jiankui shocked the scientific community in 2018 by announcing that his team used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool on twin girls when they were still embryos, resulting in the birth of the world’s first genetically modified babies. A third genetically modified child was born a year later.

Now the disgraced gene-editing scientist, jailed for three years in China for unethical practices, is speaking out South China tomorrow post all three children are doing well. “They have a normal, peaceful and undisturbed life,” he says. “It is her wish and we should respect her. The happiness of the children and their families should come first.”

His original goal was to use gene editing – many call this a living human experiment – to try to rewrite the CCR5 gene to create resistance to HIV. He says the genes were successfully edited and believed it conferred the babies either full or partial HIV resistance due to the mutation.

His statement of success is unfounded. In fact, it remains unclear whether the experiment was even effective, apart from the (enormous) ethical implications. According to a 2019 MIT technology review report: “The team did not actually reproduce the known mutation. Rather, they created new mutations that might or might not lead to HIV resistance.”

He tells them SCMP He calculates and worries about the future of the three girls like a traditional father would. He plans to track her medical needs and hopes to raise money to pay for health-related expenses. “After the age of 18,” he says, “the children decide whether they want to have follow-up medical examinations for their individual needs. We are committed to doing this for her life.”

He, who was released from prison in April 2022, admits his experiments were rushed. “I did it too fast,” he says. Nevertheless, the scientist has already set up a Beijing laboratory to work on gene therapies for genetic diseases.

The ethical dilemma He introduced could only be the beginning of a long line of questions about gene editing. He and his three test subjects won’t be the only players in the saga, but they will always be on the main stage.

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