Chinese Scientist Ostracized Over Gene-Edited Babies Seeks Comeback

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Chinese scientist He Jiankui set off global outrage and landed in prison after he skirted ethical guidelines and claimed he had produced genetically modified babies designed to resist HIV infection. 

Now, the self-styled gene editing pioneer is trying to stage a comeback with another controversial project, aiming to use gene editing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease in future generations.

One monumental hurdle: gaining the trust of a scientific community that treats him as a pariah. 

International media has dubbed him “China’s Frankenstein.” He has no academic affiliations. He declines to reveal where his funding comes from or who his backers are. It isn’t helping that he won’t repudiate his controversial approach. On March 11, He posted on X that “Ethics is holding back scientific innovation and progress.”

At his Beijing home in a gated compound, a relaxed He outlined his plans for a scientific comeback. He can’t travel—he said China won’t renew his passport—but hopes to send two Chinese colleagues to the U.S. to conduct research on mice and monkeys for the Alzheimer’s project...