He [Jiankui] claims to be the only person in the world who has truly genetically edited embryos and had healthy babies born, and that he has core technologies and experience that even Nobel Prize winners lack.
But that work earned He a reputation as “China’s Frankenstein” and a three-year jail sentence for violating medical regulations.
The plan now is to carry out all of the research in Austin. Two assistants will work there first and he will oversee their research remotely.
Despite the controversy he has attracted, He remains resolute about the future of embryo genetic editing.
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“There will be more designer babies born in the future, without a doubt,” he said.
“It’s just that I now have to comply with all the laws and regulations, get official approval and permission for every step, and work openly and transparently. For example, if China doesn’t allow human embryo research, I’ll just do animal research.”
