He Jiankui announced the birth of the first gene-edited babies in 2018 but was later imprisoned for violating laws against human genetic engineering. Following his release, he plans to establish a new research lab in the US. He remains unapologetic for his past actions, aiming to normalize embryo gene editing similar to the popularity of smartphones. In his controversial experiment, he edited genes in embryos to create resistance against HIV, resulting in the birth of twins and raising global ethical concerns.
When I think about the long term, I would like embryo gene editing to be as popular as the iPhone. It's going to be affordable to most families.
Throughout 2018, Mr He and his colleagues took sperm and eggs from eight couples who had tested positive for HIV and used these to create embryos with IVF.
He then took those gene-edited embryos and inserted them into women's wombs, where they matured into healthy, living foetuses.
While Mr He had, and still has, his supporters, he was also criticised by researchers around the world who deemed the work premature, irresponsible, and unjustified.
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