He Jiankui shocked the scientific community when he announced the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies in a series of videos from his Shenzhen lab. He secretly recruited an HIV-positive father and his partner for the study, claiming he could make their children resistant to the virus that causes AIDS. During the IVF process, the scientist edited the human embryos using a technique called CRISPR-Cas9 to delete a gene called CCR5, which helps HIV enter cells.
For a few months this year, Cathy Tie and Dr. He Jiankui were biotech’s most controversial couple. Now, both are pursuing new gene-editing ventures on opposite sides of the world.
They call him China’s Frankenstein, which would make her the Bride of Frankenstein. Only she’s not allowed in China, and he’s not allowed to leave it.