The news of the birth of the world's first supposedly genetically modified babies caused criticism around the world. More than four years later, the researcher who played a key role in it speaks out again. He tells how the twin girls are doing today.
According to the Chinese researcher He Jiankui, the supposedly first genetically modified children in the world lead a "normal, peaceful and undisturbed life" around four years after their birth. According to the Hong Kong newspaper "South China Morning Post", the controversial scientist said this in a conversation with the newspaper, from which she quoted.
He Jiankui announced the birth of twin girls Lulu and Nana in November 2018. The researcher also stated at the time that another woman was pregnant with a genetically modified child. This child was also born later. The researcher stated that he had manipulated the children's genome using the Crispr/Cas9 gene scissors in such a way that the children were protected from infection with HIV.
His actions triggered great outrage in specialist circles and in the public. He Jiankui was sentenced to three years in prison in China, the South China Morning Post reported. Accordingly, he already runs a new laboratory in Beijing, where he researches affordable therapies for rare genetic diseases. His long-term vision is "that each of us should be free of hereditary diseases," the newspaper quoted.
When asked if he was worried about the children's future, He Jiankui said he had the same expectations and concerns as any father about his children's future, according to the newspaper. He and his team promised the parents that they would continue to monitor the children's health. Efforts have also been made to obtain additional private insurance. But no insurance wanted to get involved. Now it is planned to set up a charitable foundation to collect money.
After the publication, other researchers had increasingly doubted the Chinese's results. Experts concluded that He Jiankui's actions violated many ethical and scientific standards. In addition, the manipulations intended to protect the babies from infection with HIV would probably not have had the desired success.
(This article was first published on Tuesday, February 07, 2023.)
