Chinese Scientist Says He's First To Create Genetically Modified Babies Using CRISPR

For the first time, a scientist claims to have used a powerful new gene-editing technique to create genetically modified human babies. From a report: The scientist, He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, says he used human embryos modified with the gene-editing technique CRISPR to create twin girls. 'Two beautiful little Chinese girls name Lulu and Nana came crying into the world as healthy as any other babies a few weeks ago.' He says in a video posted online. 'The babies are home now with their mom Grace and their dad Mark.' He says his team performed 'gene surgery' on embryos created from their parents' sperm and eggs to protect the children from the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, which causes AIDS. The children' father is HIV-positive. 'When Lulu and Nana were just a single cell, this surgery removed a doorway through which HIV enter to infect people,' He says in the video, one of several posted online to justify and explain the work. Because the research has not yet been published in a scientific journal or carefully vetted by other scientists, many researchers and bioethicists remain cautious about the claim.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.