Chinese researchers rebuke scientist for CRISPR babies; a ‘huge blow’ to country’s reputation

More than 100 Chinese researchers condemned as a “huge blow to the global reputation and development” of Chinese research the use of CRISPR to genetically modify two human babies. In an open letter, 124 biomedical researchers in the country called on "relevant regulatory authorities and research institutions to quickly enact strict regulation, and conduct a comprehensive investigation of this incident."

Jiankui He, a scientist affiliated with Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzen, claimed in a YouTube video that female twins were recently born after his team edited their embryos using CRISPR technology to remove the CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) gene "to protect the girls from future HIV infection." He said the twins' father is HIV-positive. CCR5 has been linked to HIV's ability to enter cells...