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‘Ambitious, impossible’: controversy over Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s latest research plan targeting muscular dystrophy
- He Jiankui, who created genetically modified babies, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 for ‘illegal medical practices’
- He has now promised to come up with a cure for a form of muscular dystrophy in just two years
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When Li Zhaoxia, the father of a nine-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy, contacted controversial biophysicist He Jiankui last year to ask whether He could help to develop a drug to treat the disease, He replied he first needed to learn about it.
Two months later, He told Li that, technically speaking, he was “capable of curing the disease”.
He released his research plan on Twitter in December, aiming to raise 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research and to start clinical trials in March 2025. DMD is a rare genetic disease that mostly affects boys and is characterised by progressive muscle damage.
Some scientists have said He could not possibly finish preclinical research in just two years.
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Chinese scientist He Jiankui involved in gene-edited babies jailed for three years
Chinese scientist He Jiankui involved in gene-edited babies jailed for three years
He applied for a visa through Hong Kong’s Top Talent Pass Scheme earlier this month and it was approved in about a week. He was in contact with universities and research institutions in Hong Kong and planned to conduct research on gene therapy for rare diseases.
But his visa was revoked late on Tuesday night after immigration officials said they suspected He had lied on his application form and a follow-up criminal investigation would be conducted. It is not clear what impact the pending investigation will have on He’s research.
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