Guangdong Preliminarily Investigates 'Gene-Edited Babies Incident'

Source: Xinhua Viewpoint

It is reported that the investigation team for the “Gene-Edited Babies Incident” in Guangdong Province has preliminarily established that the incident was orchestrated by He Jiankui, an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology. Driven by personal fame and profit, he self-funded the project, deliberately evaded regulatory oversight, and unauthorizedly organized relevant personnel to carry out human embryo gene editing for reproductive purposes—a practice explicitly prohibited by the Chinese government.

According to the investigation team, starting in June 2016, He Jiankui privately organized a project team that included foreign participants, deliberately evaded regulatory oversight, and employed techniques with uncertain safety and efficacy to carry out human embryo gene editing for reproductive purposes, an activity explicitly prohibited by the state.

From March 2017 to November 2018, He Jiankui forged ethical review documents through intermediaries and recruited eight volunteer couples (HIV-antibody-positive males and HIV-antibody-negative females) to participate in the experiment. To circumvent regulations prohibiting assisted reproductive technology for individuals living with HIV, he arranged for impostors to undergo blood testing on behalf of the volunteers, instructed certain practitioners to perform gene editing on human embryos in violation of protocols, and had the edited embryos implanted into the mothers. As a result, two volunteers became pregnant; one gave birth to twin girls named “Lulu” and “Nana,” while the other remained pregnant. Among the remaining six couples, one withdrew from the experiment midway, and the other five did not conceive. This conduct seriously violated ethical standards and scientific integrity, breached relevant national regulations, and caused significant adverse repercussions both domestically and internationally.

A relevant official from the investigation team stated that He Jiankui, along with the individuals and institutions involved, would be dealt with strictly in accordance with laws and regulations, and any cases suspected of constituting crimes would be referred to public security organs for handling. Under the guidance of relevant national authorities, Guangdong Province will work with concerned parties to ensure proper medical observation and follow-up care for the infants already born and the pregnant volunteers.

On November 26, 2018, He Jiankui’s team publicly announced the birth of a pair of gene-edited babies. Subsequently, Guangdong Province launched an investigation into the “gene-edited babies incident.”