At a Glance
- He Jiankui confirms three gene-edited girls are healthy and in primary school
- He now plans to edit 300 more embryos to prevent Alzheimer’s
- China has banned reproductive genome editing; He faces an uncertain legal path
Why it matters: His push for widespread germline editing could rewrite laws and medical ethics worldwide.
He Jiankui, the scientist who stunned the world in 2018 by announcing the birth of the first gene-edited babies, says the three children are thriving and that society should now allow 300 more gene-edited babies as a routine trial. Speaking from a new lab in south Beijing, He told News Of Fort Worth he is already working on human embryos to introduce an Icelandic mutation that protects carriers from Alzheimer’s disease.
The 2018 bombshell
In November 2018 He stepped onto a Hong Kong conference stage and confirmed global media leaks: twin girls Lulu and Nana, followed by a third girl, had been born with DNA altered to resist HIV. The edits-made with CRISPR-were heritable, meaning the changes could pass to future generations. A Chinese court sentenced him to three years in prison and barred reproductive genome editing nationwide.
Since his release in 2022, He has documented his comeback on social media, calling himself “Chinese Darwin” and “China’s Frankenstein.” Posts show him alone in a white coat beside empty lab benches or seated on a throne wearing a purple robe stitched with a double helix while prehistoric animals bow at his feet. One caption reads: “I did not violate ethics, I overturned it.”
Life after prison
He claims a pharmaceutical company has taken over his gene-therapy work for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, though no data have been published. Funders, he says, are eager to support his research. He insists the parents of the three edited children remain in regular contact and report the girls are healthy, attending primary school, and unaware of their genetic alteration.
“Anyone who is the first in the world, no one can say it’s mature,” He told Natalie A. Brooks. “The Wright brothers who made the first flight, was it mature? Of course not, but they made history.”
New goal: Alzheimer’s-free babies
He’s current project targets the APP-A673T mutation found in Icelanders who rarely develop Alzheimer’s and often live longer. He wants to insert this variant into human embryos so future children inherit the protective gene. He declined to say whether these embryos are being destroyed or implanted, but confirmed he is working with human embryonic material.
Key hurdles
- China’s government has not lifted its ban on reproductive gene editing
- Nearly every country, including the United States, prohibits germline editing for reproduction
- No peer-reviewed data support He’s safety claims for either HIV or Alzheimer’s edits
Ethical fault lines
News Of Fort Worth agreed to He’s demand that he be called a “pioneer of gene editing” in exchange for the interview. Critics note that self-declared titles do not override global scientific consensus that germline editing remains unsafe and unethical for clinical use. He’s social-media persona-romantically linked in past posts with biotech entrepreneur Cathy Tie-adds to the controversy, mixing pop-culture imagery with promises of genetic liberation.
What happens next
He says the success of the first three children proves the technology works and that regulators should now permit hundreds of additional edited births. Without policy reversals in China or another permissive jurisdiction, his lab remains legally barred from transferring edited embryos for pregnancy. Whether funders will continue to bankroll research that cannot legally progress is unclear.
Key takeaways
- He Jiankui confirms three gene-edited girls are healthy after seven years of monitoring
- He is already experimenting on human embryos to block Alzheimer’s
- Global bans mean any move to implant edited embryos would force another legal showdown
