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Written by: Chen Qianting
2019-12-30 14:15
Last updated: 2019-12-30 14:15He Jiankui, an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, claimed last year that he successfully gave birth to a pair of twin babies who are capable of innately resisting HIV through gene editing technology. His research results were criticized for violating academic ethics and ethics. He Jiankui was dismissed and completely blocked. Team members were charged with illegal medical practice.
According to CCTV news, the Shenzhen Nanshan District People ’s Court today (30th) publicly sentenced the first trial of the case, accusing He Jiankui of illegal medical practice, sentenced to 3 years in prison, and a fine of RMB 3 million.
The court alleges that the defendant did not obtain a doctor's qualification for medical practice, pursued fame, and deliberately violated the relevant scientific research and medical management regulations, which was a violation of scientific research and medical ethics.
He Jiankui announced the world's first study on the birth of genetically modified twins when attending the Second International Human Genome Editing Summit in Hong Kong. (Profile picture)
He Jiankui shared his research results during the Second International Human Genome Editing Summit in Hong Kong last year. He and his team modified the CCR5 gene to give birth to a pair of twin babies who are inherently resistant to AIDS. However, before the results of the study were announced, it was questioned whether the study was in compliance with ethical standards. During the meeting, participants were also questioned about the necessity of the study. At present, similar technologies have been used to reduce HIV, but genetic modification technology is immature and safety is in doubt.
Shenzhen court convicts three defendants, including He Jiankui, of illegal medical practice in closed trial
Due to the personal privacy of the persons involved, the court heard the case in private. The court stated that since 2016, He Jiankui, a former associate professor of Southern University of Science and Technology, learned that human embryo gene editing technology can obtain commercial benefits, that is, he conspired with Zhang Renli, a medical institution in Guangdong Province, and Qin Jinzhou, a medical institution in Shenzhen, to edit the human embryo CCR5 gene to give birth. In the name of AIDS-immunized infants, human embryo gene editing technology that has not been rigorously verified for safety and effectiveness is used for assisted reproductive medicine.
During the period, He Jiankui and others forged ethical review materials and recruited the man to carry out gene editing and assisted reproduction for several couples of HIV-infected persons. By means of impostor and concealing the truth, the genetically edited embryos were assisted by an unknown doctor. Reproductive technology was transplanted into the human body, which made two pregnant and gave birth to three gene-edited babies.
The court held that the three defendants failed to obtain a doctor's qualification and pursued for profit, deliberately violated the relevant national regulations on scientific research and medical management, crossed the scientific and medical ethics bottom line, and rashly applied gene editing technology to human assisted reproductive medicine, disrupting medical treatment. The management order is serious and its behavior has constituted the crime of illegal medical practice.
The court sentenced the defendant He Jiankui to 3 years in prison and a fine of 3 million yuan; Zhang Renli was sentenced to 2 years in prison and a fine of 1 million yuan in prison; Qin Jinzhou was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, and punished. Gold RMB 500,000.
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Genetic modification He Jiankui
