Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'I Feel Proud': Chinese Scientist Who Used CRISPR To Edit Babies' Genes Defends Work As Ethics Uproar Escalates
The New York Times: Chinese Scientist Who Says He Edited Babies’ Genes Defends His Work
A Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies said at a conference on Wednesday that his actions were safe and ethical, and he asserted that he was proud of what he had done. But many other scientists seemed highly skeptical, with a conference organizer calling his actions irresponsible. “For this specific case, I feel proud, actually,” the scientist, He Jiankui, said at an international conference on genome editing in Hong Kong. (Belluck, 11/28)
The Washington Post: He Jiankui Defends Gene Editing Research, New Baby On The Way
“We should, for millions of families with inherited disease, show compassion,” he told a packed audience at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong. “If we have this technology, we can make it available earlier. We can help earlier those people in need.” He’s scientific talk chronicled the development of this line of research, from early mouse experiments to primates and eventually a human clinical trial. He said that eight couples were enrolled in the trial, but one dropped out. All had fathers with well-controlled HIV and mothers who were not infected. (Shih and Johnson, 11/28)
Stat: Amid Uproar, Chinese Scientist Defends Creating Gene-Edited Babies
He began more humbly in his first public remarks about his research, with a statement that drew quiet gasps from the audience: “I must apologize that these results leaked before peer review,” He said. In fact, his representatives had reached out to a reporter months ago and allowed extensive filming in his lab to tell the story of his work, as he acknowledged. He meticulously orchestrated the announcement on Sunday — two days before the start of the summit — of his claim that the girls, created from genome-edited embryos, had been born a few weeks ago. (Begley, 11/28)
The Associated Press: Scientist Claiming Gene-Edited Babies Reports 2nd Pregnancy
A Chinese researcher who claims to have helped make the world's first genetically edited babies says a second pregnancy may be underway. The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, revealed the possible pregnancy Wednesday while making his first public comments about his controversial work at an international conference in Hong Kong. (Marchione, 11/27)
NPR: Chinese Scientist He Jiankui Rebuked By Colleagues Over Gene Experiments
As soon as He finished his initial 15-minute presentation, American Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore, who chairs the conference, got up to speak. Baltimore noted that scientists had agreed that it would be irresponsible to try to create genetically modified babies until there was much more research to make sure it was necessary and safe, and a consensus had been reached it was prudent. (Stein, 11/28)
The Associated Press: Gene-Editing Chinese Scientist Kept Much Of His Work Secret
The Chinese scientist who says he helped make the world's first gene-edited babies veered off a traditional career path, keeping much of his research secret in pursuit of a larger goal — making history. He Jiankui's outsized aspirations began to take shape in 2016, the year after another team of Chinese researchers sparked global debate with the revelation that they had altered the DNA of human embryos in the lab. He soon set his mind on pushing the boundaries of medical ethics even further. (Larson, 11/27)
The Associated Press: Gene-Editing Scientist Under Scrutiny By Chinese Officials
The National Health Commission on Monday ordered local officials in Guangdong province —where Shenzhen is located — to investigate He's actions. China's state broadcaster, CCTV, reported Tuesday that if the births are confirmed, He's case will be handled "in accordance with relevant laws and regulations." It's not clear if he could face possible criminal charges. (Larson, 11/27)
Stat: Sparse Data On CRISPR'd Embryos Leave Questions Unanswered
While the world waited for He Jiankui to back up his claim of CRISPR’ing two babies to an international summit of genome editors in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, STAT asked genomics experts to review the only data He has publicly revealed, in a spreadsheet on the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry. Their verdict: The quality of the data is low, and there’s too little of it, to draw any firm conclusions about what He’s team accomplished. And there is no proof that the two embryos described in the spreadsheet were used to produce the twins whose birth He announced earlier this week. (Begley and Cooney, 11/27)
Stat: He Took A Crash Course In Bioethics, Then Created CRISPR Babies
For someone who has caused a worldwide uproar over what many fellow scientists consider an ethical outrage, He Jiankui of China spent a remarkable amount of time discussing his work — which he claims led to the births of the first babies whose genomes had been edited when they were IVF embryos — with bioethicists, policy experts, and social scientists. Two of them are father and son: Dr. William Hurlbut of Stanford University, a member of the U.S. President’s Council on Bioethics in the early 2000s, and J. Benjamin Hurlbut of Arizona State University, a biomedical historian. (Begley, 11/27)
Stat: UC Berkeley Expert Warned China Scientist Against Gene-Editing In 2017
A year before He Jiankui shocked the world with claims that he had created gene-edited babies, the Chinese scientist confided his plans in a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. The researcher, Mark DeWitt, told no one. But his response at the time was unmistakable: Don’t do it. “I thought it was a terrible idea, with or without any kinds of approvals. I told him that. I said: ‘You’re not ready,’” Dewitt told STAT. (Robbins, 11/27)
KQED: Trying To Understand The CRISPR Baby? Five Things To Read
On Monday, Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced in a YouTube video and via an interview with the Associated Press that he had successfully used the pioneering gene-editing technique CRISPR to genetically modify twin girls. Skepticism and criticism quickly followed. Here's what you need to know. (O'Mara, 11/27)
