He Jiankui, Chinese Scientist Who Edited Babies’ Genes, Jailed for Three Years

December 30, 2019

(The Guardian) – The scientist who created the world’s first “gene-edited” babies has been sentenced to to three years in prison by a court in China. He Jiankui said in November 2018 that he had used gene-editing technology known as Crispr-Cas9 to change the genes of twin girls, causing a backlash in China and globally about the ethics of his research and work. The court in Shenzen found him guilty of illegal practice and also fined him 3m yuan (US$430,000), according to the state news agency Xinhua. Two other people on He’s research team received lesser sentences and fines.