China’s ‘Frankenstein’ scientist, He Jiankui, has been released after being imprisoned for creating the world’s first gene-edited babies. He faced backlash in 2018 for genetically modifying three infants to resist HIV.
Despite his past controversy, He Jiankui is now planning to utilize similar methods to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a move that is considered controversial and illegal in many countries. He aims to introduce a gene mutation observed in Icelandic individuals who exhibit resistance to Alzheimer’s and have longer lifespans.
Initially, He Jiankui intends to conduct experiments on animals before potentially moving to human trials. It is speculated that he may venture to South Africa, where germline gene editing was legalized recently.
He gained international notoriety for editing embryos without proper peer review, sparking concerns regarding safety, consent, and ethics. Consequently, he was sentenced to three years in prison for violating medical regulations.
While gene-editing technology is making significant strides in treating certain diseases through somatic therapies, the use of gene editing on embryos for reproductive purposes remains a contentious issue within the medical community.
The proposal to tackle Alzheimer’s through gene editing comes at a time when advancements in gene-editing science are being made in less controversial areas, emphasizing the importance of ethical boundaries in genetic research and therapy.
