China’s controversial biophysicist, He Jiankui, has been released after being imprisoned for creating the world’s first gene-edited baby. Jiankui faced backlash in 2018 for genetically modifying three girls to protect them from HIV.
Despite his past actions, Jiankui is now aiming to prevent Alzheimer’s disease using similar gene-editing techniques. However, this type of germline editing, which Jiankui proposes, is prohibited in most countries and was the cause of his previous legal troubles.
Jiankui is seeking funding to introduce a gene mutation he identified in Icelandic individuals who are resilient to Alzheimer’s and have longer lifespans. He plans to conduct initial tests on animals before potentially moving on to human trials, which could take place in South Africa, where germline gene editing was recently legalized.
He gained infamy for editing genes in embryos without proper peer review, sparking concerns about safety, consent, and ethics. He was sentenced to three years in prison by Chinese authorities for engaging in illegal medical practices.
While gene editing is making strides in somatic therapies for severe diseases, there is a consensus in the biomedical community that editing embryos for reproductive purposes, particularly to address complex diseases, remains a contentious issue.