Chinese university investigating girl's death in gene-editing trial
A Chinese university is investigating reports that a gene-editing trial caused the death of a six-year-old girl, which was not disclosed in the published research.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
A Chinese university is investigating a gene-editing trial that resulted in the death of a six-year-old girl, which was not disclosed in the published research.
Imagine a special kind of medicine that can fix a person's brain. A Chinese university is investigating a case where a six-year-old girl died after receiving this medicine. The medicine was meant to help her think better, but it didn't work and she got very sick. The university is looking into why this happened and will take action if they find out that something went wrong.
Analysis
A $60B Vote of Confidence
The Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine is investigating reports that a gene-editing trial caused the death of a six-year-old girl, which was not disclosed in the published research. The experimental gene therapy was meant to fix a rare genetic condition that caused a delay in cognitive development. The girl, given the pseudonym 'Mei', died last year around a week after receiving a spinal infusion of trillions of viruses designed to penetrate the brain for treatment, according to a joint investigation by Science and Retraction Watch.
Why Cursor?
The lead researcher, neuroscientist Zilong Qiu, went on to publish a paper on related animal studies in the prestigious journal Nature that made no mention of Mei. Mei's parents, who paid more than $800,000 to fund the experiment, were not adequately informed about the risks, the report by Science and Retraction Watch said. Qiu was aiming to offer the world's first gene-editing therapy directed at the brain, rewriting the mutated gene in her neurons so she could make a vital protein.
The Road Ahead
The previously undisclosed death is a fresh blow to China's ambitions to rival the United States as a biotech power following the 2018 scandal around He Jiankui, a biophysicist who secretly produced gene-edited babies. The Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has always attached great importance to scientific research integrity and research norms, and firmly opposes conducting medical scientific research in violation of scientific research ethics. Serious action will be taken in accordance with the investigation's findings.
Key points
- A Chinese university is investigating a gene-editing trial that resulted in the death of a six-year-old girl.
- The experimental gene therapy was meant to fix a rare genetic condition that caused a delay in cognitive development.
- The lead researcher published a paper on related animal studies in the prestigious journal Nature without mentioning the girl's death.
- Mei's parents were not adequately informed about the risks of the experiment.
- The university will take action in accordance with the investigation's findings.
If the university takes action to improve research integrity and norms, it could lead to better and safer medical treatments in the future.
The previously undisclosed death could damage China's reputation as a biotech power and lead to stricter regulations on gene-editing research.
