A Chinese scientist jailed for his role in delivering the world’s first genetically modified babies has expressed “serious concern” about the future of the little ones, who are now nearly four years old, according to the British newspaper “The Times”.
He Jiankui, 39, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 after he sparked outrage around the world after it was revealed that he had altered the genes of twin fetuses.
Jiankui said on November 25, 2018, that he had used gene-editing technology known as “CRISPR-Cas9” to change the genes of two twin girls, later known as Lulu and Nana, who were born through in vitro fertilization before being implanted in the mother’s womb, which sparked Angry reaction in China and the world over the ethics of his research and work.
A third genetically modified Chinese girl, known as Amy, was born a year after the birth of “Lulu” and “Nana”, using the same technology, as some researchers believe that this method will revolutionize the prevention and treatment of incurable diseases such as cancer.
“The children have a normal, healthy and undisturbed life. They live happily with their families and should be respected,” Jiankui told the South China Morning Post.
When asked if he was worried about their future, he replied, “We will have high expectations about that but there are also major concerns.”
The Chinese scientist was released in April of the year 2022, to initiate in November the opening of his own laboratory in Beijing, where he expected that the “golden decade for genetic therapies” would approach.
Jiankui, despite a lot of widespread criticism, won praise from some practical circles in appreciation of his efforts.
Later, the relevant Chinese authorities expressed their dissatisfaction with his experiments and the implications of manipulating human genes that could be inherited and passed down through future generations, which raised real concerns about the re-engineering of the human race.
Jiankui said his team hopes to set up a charitable foundation to raise money and cover health expenses for the three children, while he has been invited to visit Oxford University next month to discuss his research.
In this regard, Jiankui says, “I have a long-term vision, which is that every human being should be free from genetic diseases.”
In December, he wrote to Jiankui on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, thanking American anthropologist Eben Kirksey for inviting him to deliver a speech at a symposium he’s running at Oxford University.
Kirxi had previously said: “Some prominent bioethicists believe that Jiankui’s research should not be allowed to be published.. I do not agree with that. There is a lot to learn from his ethical mistakes and his scientific research on the application of (CRISPR) technology.”
He added, “In Europe and America, companies offer genetic treatments and medicines at exorbitant prices because they seek to achieve high returns, and many families face bankruptcy due to the high prices of these medicines.”
For his part, Jiankui wrote on his social media account: “My knowledge will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also the British people.”
When asked about his bold experiment involving genetically modified children, he said: “I did it very quickly.”
When asked if he would do it differently next time, he replied: “The question is very complicated and I don’t have an answer yet.”