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College fires Chinese gene scientist after inquiry

By Daniela Wei, Bloomberg
Published: January 22, 2019, 8:13pm

The Chinese scientist who altered the genes of twin baby girls as embryos was fired by his university after a government probe found he violated laws and signaled he may face a criminal investigation.

He Jiankui’s employment was terminated by the Southern University of Science and Technology, which also ended his research activities based on the results of the probe, the university said in a statement late Monday. A local government investigation found he breached China’s laws and ethics and will be “severely” dealt with, state-run Xinhua reported the same day.

The firing is the latest blow for He, who triggered an international backlash when he shocked the world with his claims of genetically altering human embryos that resulted in births. The suspected crimes will be handed over to China’s public security agency, increasing the prospects the scientist may face criminal charges.

He, who retreated from public view following the revelation, is living under guard in university quarters in Shenzhen. Neither He nor his spokesman responded to requests for comment.

The work by He and his team “seriously violates ethics and scientific research integrity” as well as state regulations, Xinhua reported. The investigation confirmed the birth of the genetically altered baby girls and also a second pregnancy, according to the report. He recruited eight volunteer couples for the experiment by “forging” ethical review documents, the news agency said.

The scientist evaded regulation and supervision, raised his own funds and employed his own team for the gene-editing project on human embryos in “pursuit of personal fame and benefit,” according to Xinhua, citing the probe. The researcher violated the law in implanting the manipulated embryos into humans, according to the report.

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