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Well, 2018 sure did go out with a bang, at least on the life-science front. In late November, He Jiankui, a researcher on leave from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, claimed to have edited the genomes of one-day-old embryos in vitro, using CRISPR to disable their CCR5 genes. While genomic manipulation of this sort was not unprecedented, the embryos He edited were not sacrificed as in previous studies. He implanted the modified embryos, and the mother of Lulu and Nana gave birth to the twin girls. If this claim turns out to be true (as of this writing, He’s claims have not been independently confirmed), this could mark a major turning point in humanity’s relationship to biotechnology.
Upon He’s announcement of the twins’ birth, a chorus of voices in the life-science community—including Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang, who are widely credited ...
