He Jiankui announced in November 2018 that he had given birth to twin girls after modifying their genes to make them able to resist the HIV virus carried by their father.
A Chinese researcher who was imprisoned following a global scandal sparked by announcing that he had modified the genes of twins before they were born, confirmed on Tuesday that he is looking for new parties to cooperate with after obtaining a visa to enter Hong Kong.
The researcher’s call sparked anger again in the scientific community.
A court in Shenzhen, in southern China, where the scientist conducted his work, sentenced He Jiankui to three years in prison after convicting him of “illegal genetic manipulation of embryos for the purpose of procreation.”
And He Jiankui announced in November 2018 that he had reached the birth of two twin girls after modifying their genes to make them able to resist the AIDS virus carried by their father.
The 39-year-old scientist, who was released in April 2022, told reporters in Beijing that he is in “contacts with Hong Kong universities and research institutions and companies.” “If interesting opportunities arise, I will consider moving my residence to Hong Kong to work” on “gene therapy projects for rare diseases,” he added.
He Jiankui announced that he had obtained a visa as part of a program designed to attract talents to Hong Kong.
The well-known professor in the field of genetic studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Kieran Musunuru, expressed “concern” about the city’s decision. “He Jiankou is a convicted criminal,” he told AFP. “Experimenting children through genetic modifications as he did is, in my view, ill-treatment.”
