He Jiankui Jailed For Editing Babies’ Genes Against HIV

A renowned China-based scientist He Jiankui has been found guilty and convicted for editing babies genes to make them HIV-resistant.
He Jiankui, who created the world’s first gene-edited babies, was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday, according to reports. The former associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen disclosed sometime in November 2018 that he had used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to change the genes of twin girls to protect them from getting infected with the AIDS virus in the future.
However, He Jiankui has been found guilty on charges of illegally practising medicine. This led to his suspension from work and accused of doing what is described as extremely abominable in nature.
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He and his collaborators had reportedly forged ethical review materials and recruited men with AIDS who were part of a couple to carry out the gene-editing. His experiments ultimately resulted in two women giving birth to three gene-edited babies, according to the official Xinhua news agency.Photos Credit: Getty