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He Jiankui

Chinese scientist He Jiankui claimed to have created the world's first gene-edited babies: twin girls born from embryos he says were modified to make them resistant to HIV.

Born

1984

Industry

Science

Job Title

Scientist

Science

What next for He Jiankui, the human gene editor locked in limbo?

The biophysicist dubbed ‘China’s Frankenstein’ vows to continue controversial research that made him a ‘public enemy’.

15 Jun 2025 - 11:08AMvideocam

Science

China bans clinical research in germline gene editing under new ethics rules

13 Jul 2024 - 3:07PMvideocam

Science

Chinese bioethicists seek ban to stop He Jiankui experimenting on people

14 Mar 2023 - 12:00PMvideocam

Science

China issues ‘most comprehensive’ bioethics rules since gene-edited baby scandal

Latest rules on life sciences and medical research involving humans expand regulatory scope of 2016 guideline and spell out administrative penalties.

4 Mar 2023 - 6:44AMvideocam

Latest guideline includes details on informed consent for human-related research and the administrative penalties for violations. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong revokes work visa given to scientist jailed for medical malpractice

Immigration Department pulls visa after suspicions controversial mainland Chinese scientist He Jiankui lied on application.

22 Feb 2023 - 2:03AMvideocam

Science

He Jiankui, creator of gene-edited babies, cancels Oxford event

He, who has been the subject of controversy and a jail sentence, says he is not ready to discuss the past three years.

14 Feb 2023 - 8:17PMvideocam

Science

Chinese scientist behind gene-edited babies to speak at Oxford University

The academic who invited He Jiankui to Britain says they will discuss the ethics of his research in a series of public talks in March

2 Dec 2022 - 8:45PMvideocam

He Jiankui was freed from prison earlier this year. Photo: Sam Tsang

China technology

China bolsters ethics review process on science and technology research projects

The Chinese government has released new guidelines to enhance ethics oversight on research activities involving humans and animals.

21 Mar 2022 - 7:20PMvideocam

Science

Bioethicists look at how to care for China’s gene-edited babies

They say gene-editing technology is evolving and ethical issues should be considered.

20 Mar 2022 - 12:00PMvideocam

Science

Scientists call for China to protect world’s first gene-edited babies

He Jiankui was jailed for his experiment on human embryos after the three girls were born.

3 Mar 2022 - 12:08PMvideocam

Chinese scientist He Jiankui shocked the world in 2018 when he announced that he had created gene-edited babies. Photo: AP

Science

China’s gene-editing ‘Frankenstein’ jailed for three years in modified baby case

He Jiankui and two others convicted on charges related to manipulation of embryos to prevent HIV infection.

30 Dec 2019 - 11:41PMvideocam

Chinese biologist He Jiankui has been jailed for his controversial experiments on human babies. Photo: Sam Tsang

Science

Editorial | World is not ready to edit genes of human embryos

China and beyond need to learn a serious lesson from sorry episode involving biophysicist He Jiankui, who attempted and failed to make twins HIV resistant

16 Dec 2019 - 10:52PM

Science

China’s gene-edited baby scandal hasn’t stopped the technology’s progress

The past year has seen advancements to CRISPR, the technique used by Chinese researcher He Jiankui to alter the DNA of Chinese twin girls Lula and Nana, despite the controversy.

17 Dec 2019 - 7:01AM

Science

Gene-editing scandal doctor’s methods work fine on monkeys: study

But technique still not fit for use on humans, Chinese researcher says.

11 Dec 2019 - 10:39PM

A Chinese team has been carrying out gene editing research on monkeys. Photo: AFP

Science

The big mystery at the centre of China’s gene-edited baby scandal

Most of scientist He Jiankui’s data has been available for some time, an insider says, but there’s still no word on where he is a year after he revealed his experiment.

5 Dec 2019 - 3:32AMvideocam

A Chinese scientist shocked the world last year when he announced that he had edited the genes of twin girls to prevent them from inheriting HIV from their father. Photo: AP

Science

Designer babies: Chinese scientist ‘may have created unintended mutations’

Despite biophysicist He Jiankui’s claims, team failed to reproduce changes to make twin girls HIV immune, excerpts from manuscript show.

4 Dec 2019 - 2:13PMvideocam

Science

China tightens rules on genetic research after designer baby scandal

International organisations that collect, store or use human genetic resources for research without proper permissions will be fined up to US$722,600.

13 Jun 2019 - 5:28AM

Science

‘Foolish choice’: Chinese scientist’s gene-edited babies could die early

Research shows that changes He Jiankui made to protect twin girls from HIV infection may have significantly increased their risk of premature death.

4 Jun 2019 - 3:23AM

Chinese scientist He Jiankui speaks at a summit on human genome editing at the University of Hong Kong in November. Photo: Sam Tsang

Science

Gene-editing breakthrough comes with urgent call for global rules

Leading Chinese scientist warns approved modified babies could be just a year or two away.

1 Jun 2019 - 3:32PM

POLITICO

Scientists call for ban on human embryo gene edits after He Jiankui scandal

Editorial co-signed by researchers and ethicists from eight countries comes four months after news of Chinese scientist’s experiments roiled community.

14 Mar 2019 - 1:23PMvideocam

Science

China drafts gene editing rules after He Jiankui embryo experiments

Such technologies could be classed as high-risk and placed under the authority of the State Council, after ethical concerns over claims that scientist He had altered the DNA of twin girls born in November.

27 Feb 2019 - 11:11PM

A sperm injection microscope is used in preparation for injecting embryos in Shenzhen in southern China. Photo: AP

Science

Gene-edited Chinese babies may have enhanced brains

He Jiankui could have altered cognitive functions of twin girls when he used CRISPR to disable the CCR5 gene that allows HIV to infect human cells.

25 Feb 2019 - 6:18PM

Chinese scientist He Jiankui was found to have “seriously violated” Chinese laws in the pursuit of his work. Photo: Sam Tsang

Science

Opinion | Gene editing should be met with an ethical response and penalties

The shocking revelation that Chinese scientist He Jiankui performed the world’s first such experiment on baby twins has stoked international fears

16 Feb 2019 - 6:47PM

Science

Stanford probes faculty ties to China gene-edited baby work

Several Stanford professors have said they were in contact with He Jiankui over the last year.

8 Feb 2019 - 9:18PM

Science

China confirms gene-edited babies; scientist and staff to face punishment

Official Xinhua news agency says preliminary investigations revealed that scientist had acted on his own, forged review papers.

4 Feb 2019 - 11:47AM

Chinese biologist He Jiankui. Photo: Sam Tsang

Science

Education chiefs call for ‘low-key’ review of gene edit projects

Education ministry is beating the grass in case another ‘Frankenstein’ revelation awaits in research projects at the country’s universities and affiliated hospitals.

27 Dec 2018 - 10:25PM

Chinese biologist He Jiankui delivers a speech at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing at Hong Kong University last month, shortly after his claims that the genes of two girls had been altered to ‘edit’ HIV inherited from their father. Photo: Sam Tsang

Letters | Why scepticism over human gene editing is justified

If we forcibly change natural laws, not only does it open the door to a lot of unknown influences, it also places a bet on the future of the whole world.

27 Dec 2018 - 1:01PMvideocam

Science

Letters | Creating gene-edited babies: is it worth the risks involved?

Chinese scientist He Jiankui has been criticised by peers over creating gene-edited babies, and little is known about the “off-target risks” of the technology

21 Dec 2018 - 1:00PMvideocam

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He Jiankui

What next for He Jiankui, the human gene editor locked in limbo?

The biophysicist dubbed ‘China’s Frankenstein’ vows to continue controversial research that made him a ‘public enemy’.

China bans clinical research in germline gene editing under new ethics rules

Chinese bioethicists seek ban to stop He Jiankui experimenting on people

China issues ‘most comprehensive’ bioethics rules since gene-edited baby scandal

Latest rules on life sciences and medical research involving humans expand regulatory scope of 2016 guideline and spell out administrative penalties.

Hong Kong revokes work visa given to scientist jailed for medical malpractice

Immigration Department pulls visa after suspicions controversial mainland Chinese scientist He Jiankui lied on application.

He Jiankui, creator of gene-edited babies, cancels Oxford event

He, who has been the subject of controversy and a jail sentence, says he is not ready to discuss the past three years.

Chinese scientist behind gene-edited babies to speak at Oxford University

The academic who invited He Jiankui to Britain says they will discuss the ethics of his research in a series of public talks in March

China bolsters ethics review process on science and technology research projects

The Chinese government has released new guidelines to enhance ethics oversight on research activities involving humans and animals.

Bioethicists look at how to care for China’s gene-edited babies

They say gene-editing technology is evolving and ethical issues should be considered.

Scientists call for China to protect world’s first gene-edited babies

He Jiankui was jailed for his experiment on human embryos after the three girls were born.

China’s gene-editing ‘Frankenstein’ jailed for three years in modified baby case

He Jiankui and two others convicted on charges related to manipulation of embryos to prevent HIV infection.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Editorial | World is not ready to edit genes of human embryos

China and beyond need to learn a serious lesson from sorry episode involving biophysicist He Jiankui, who attempted and failed to make twins HIV resistant

China’s gene-edited baby scandal hasn’t stopped the technology’s progress

The past year has seen advancements to CRISPR, the technique used by Chinese researcher He Jiankui to alter the DNA of Chinese twin girls Lula and Nana, despite the controversy.

Gene-editing scandal doctor’s methods work fine on monkeys: study

But technique still not fit for use on humans, Chinese researcher says.

The big mystery at the centre of China’s gene-edited baby scandal

Most of scientist He Jiankui’s data has been available for some time, an insider says, but there’s still no word on where he is a year after he revealed his experiment.

Designer babies: Chinese scientist ‘may have created unintended mutations’

Despite biophysicist He Jiankui’s claims, team failed to reproduce changes to make twin girls HIV immune, excerpts from manuscript show.

China tightens rules on genetic research after designer baby scandal

International organisations that collect, store or use human genetic resources for research without proper permissions will be fined up to US$722,600.

‘Foolish choice’: Chinese scientist’s gene-edited babies could die early

Research shows that changes He Jiankui made to protect twin girls from HIV infection may have significantly increased their risk of premature death.

Gene-editing breakthrough comes with urgent call for global rules

Leading Chinese scientist warns approved modified babies could be just a year or two away.

Scientists call for ban on human embryo gene edits after He Jiankui scandal

Editorial co-signed by researchers and ethicists from eight countries comes four months after news of Chinese scientist’s experiments roiled community.

China drafts gene editing rules after He Jiankui embryo experiments

Such technologies could be classed as high-risk and placed under the authority of the State Council, after ethical concerns over claims that scientist He had altered the DNA of twin girls born in November.

Gene-edited Chinese babies may have enhanced brains

He Jiankui could have altered cognitive functions of twin girls when he used CRISPR to disable the CCR5 gene that allows HIV to infect human cells.

Opinion | Gene editing should be met with an ethical response and penalties

The shocking revelation that Chinese scientist He Jiankui performed the world’s first such experiment on baby twins has stoked international fears

Stanford probes faculty ties to China gene-edited baby work

Several Stanford professors have said they were in contact with He Jiankui over the last year.

China confirms gene-edited babies; scientist and staff to face punishment

Official Xinhua news agency says preliminary investigations revealed that scientist had acted on his own, forged review papers.

Education chiefs call for ‘low-key’ review of gene edit projects

Education ministry is beating the grass in case another ‘Frankenstein’ revelation awaits in research projects at the country’s universities and affiliated hospitals.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Why scepticism over human gene editing is justified

If we forcibly change natural laws, not only does it open the door to a lot of unknown influences, it also places a bet on the future of the whole world.

Letters | Creating gene-edited babies: is it worth the risks involved?

Chinese scientist He Jiankui has been criticised by peers over creating gene-edited babies, and little is known about the “off-target risks” of the technology

Editorial | World is not ready to edit genes of human embryos

Letters | Why scepticism over human gene editing is justified