The Third CRISPR Gene-Edited Baby Has been Born and China Sentenced the man behind it

Chinese scientists put behind bars for gene editing babies: Recently, a team of three scientists based out of China is sentenced to jail besides being fined for their alleged involvement in flouting the law while creating gene-edited babies. Recently, Xinhua, which is the Chinese state-run news agency, reported that a so-called self-acclaimed medical researcher named He Jiankui holds the credit of creating and introducing to the world, a first of its kind gene-edited baby, according to reports.

However, the stated research has also landed He Jiankui and his team of two researchers in trouble so much so that the government has slapped a huge fine on the team and has sentenced the leader and the duo to serve 18 months or more time in jail for illegally practicing medicine. 

In the backdrop of this controversial news, news agencies in China have confirmed the birth of the third gene-edited baby being born in the country. The man responsible for creating such a controversy, He Jiankui, made news a few months ago, back in November of 2019, at the time when the twin girls were born.

It was reported in the various sections of the media that the lead researcher was successful enough to adjust the DNA of twins. Back then, He Jiankui made claims that he performed the stated experiment only to ensure that the girls do not contract the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The experiment was carried out on the twin girls christened Nana and Lula by Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou, former colleagues of He Jiankui.

The team had reportedly performed experiments on as many as seven embryos. Researchers, academicians, and those from the medical fraternity condemning the experiment echoed the opinion that the same has violated norms, thus making the experiment illegal. While the lead researcher and his team were adamant that the respective experiment intended to only save the twins from contracting HIV, a research study that was published in November 2019 goes on to prove otherwise.

Subsequently, in the following month in December, the research team grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The investigation brought to light that the trio in question did not have the required certificate to practice medicine in the first place. Various reports also suggested that the three experimented with creating gene-editing babies as they regarded it as their ticket to fame and considered it as a shortcut to earn money.