Today is the 1-year anniversary of @antonioregalado breaking the news about Chinese scientist He Jiankui (JK) using gene-edited human embryos to establish pregnancies.
It’s time to break the silence. (thread)
technologyreview.com/s/612458/exclu…
It’s time to break the silence. (thread)
technologyreview.com/s/612458/exclu…
2/
1 year and 1 week ago, I learned that twin girls called Lulu and Nana had been born—humanity’s first gene-edited babies.
At that time, @MMarchioneAP asked me and a few other experts to assess a manuscript written by JK about the twins. I read it, and I was horrified.
1 year and 1 week ago, I learned that twin girls called Lulu and Nana had been born—humanity’s first gene-edited babies.
At that time, @MMarchioneAP asked me and a few other experts to assess a manuscript written by JK about the twins. I read it, and I was horrified.
3/
I won’t recount the circumstances under which @MMarchioneAP received the manuscript—it’s her story to tell, and she told it well at the #CRISPRStory session at #SciWri19 @ScienceWriting
@antonioregalado shared his story at the same session, too.
casw.org/newsroom-2019/…
I won’t recount the circumstances under which @MMarchioneAP received the manuscript—it’s her story to tell, and she told it well at the #CRISPRStory session at #SciWri19 @ScienceWriting
@antonioregalado shared his story at the same session, too.
casw.org/newsroom-2019/…
4/
It’s generally understood that JK’s effort was an ethical disaster.
What’s not well known—it was also a scientific disaster.
Though JK’s manuscript hasn’t been published, it reveals just how much of a disaster.
It’s time for the biomedical community to know the full truth.
It’s generally understood that JK’s effort was an ethical disaster.
What’s not well known—it was also a scientific disaster.
Though JK’s manuscript hasn’t been published, it reveals just how much of a disaster.
It’s time for the biomedical community to know the full truth.
5/
After @antonioregalado broke the news about the pregnancies, @AP quickly published an article by @MMarchioneAP reporting JK’s claim of the birth of gene-edited babies.
After JK, I was the first person quoted, unequivocally condemning JK’s actions.
apnews.com/4997bb7aa36c45…
After @antonioregalado broke the news about the pregnancies, @AP quickly published an article by @MMarchioneAP reporting JK’s claim of the birth of gene-edited babies.
After JK, I was the first person quoted, unequivocally condemning JK’s actions.
apnews.com/4997bb7aa36c45…
6/
My condemnation was harsh because I understood that JK’s actions were both an ethical fail and a scientific fail.
A single figure from JK’s manuscript is enough to see why I was (and remain) so upset.
If you can’t instantly see what’s wrong—you should NOT gene-edit embryos!
My condemnation was harsh because I understood that JK’s actions were both an ethical fail and a scientific fail.
A single figure from JK’s manuscript is enough to see why I was (and remain) so upset.
If you can’t instantly see what’s wrong—you should NOT gene-edit embryos!
7/
(Disclosure: this figure is not from the manuscript provided to me by @MMarchioneAP, which I agreed to keep confidential, but from another version of the manuscript provided by a different source who consented to my sharing information about it.)
(Disclosure: this figure is not from the manuscript provided to me by @MMarchioneAP, which I agreed to keep confidential, but from another version of the manuscript provided by a different source who consented to my sharing information about it.)
8/
Over the coming days, I’m going to tweet at length about the scientific and ethical shortcomings of JK’s actions.
My hope is to bring to light and explain aspects of JK’s actions that have remained unclear, a year later.
Can’t wait? Want the full story in a single read?
Over the coming days, I’m going to tweet at length about the scientific and ethical shortcomings of JK’s actions.
My hope is to bring to light and explain aspects of JK’s actions that have remained unclear, a year later.
Can’t wait? Want the full story in a single read?
This Friday, November 29, 2019, is the launch of my book—
The CRISPR Generation: The Story of the World’s First Gene-Edited Babies
eBook at bit.ly/TheCRISPRGener… (available now)
Print version at store.bookbaby.com/book/the-crisp…, Amazon, and other sites
#TheCRISPRGeneration
The CRISPR Generation: The Story of the World’s First Gene-Edited Babies
eBook at bit.ly/TheCRISPRGener… (available now)
Print version at store.bookbaby.com/book/the-crisp…, Amazon, and other sites
#TheCRISPRGeneration
10/
The book isn’t intended to entertain, but to inform.
For readers already savvy about gene editing:
Chapters 7-10: a full account of the events of 1 year ago from an insider-ish point of view
Chapter 8: my impressions of JK’s manuscript with high-level analysis of key data
The book isn’t intended to entertain, but to inform.
For readers already savvy about gene editing:
Chapters 7-10: a full account of the events of 1 year ago from an insider-ish point of view
Chapter 8: my impressions of JK’s manuscript with high-level analysis of key data
11/
Chapter 11: how JK violated every single principle of ethical medical research
For a full discussion of ethical issues, I highly recommend the October 2019 issue of @CRISPRJournal on The Ethics of Human Genome Editing.
liebertpub.com/toc/crispr/2/5
Chapter 11: how JK violated every single principle of ethical medical research
For a full discussion of ethical issues, I highly recommend the October 2019 issue of @CRISPRJournal on The Ethics of Human Genome Editing.
liebertpub.com/toc/crispr/2/5
12/
That’s it for today. Tomorrow, I’ll start doing a deep dive and analyze some of the key figures from JK’s manuscript.
Again, if you don’t want to wait, you can go to bit.ly/TheCRISPRGener… and get the eBook version of #TheCRISPRGeneration immediately.
That’s it for today. Tomorrow, I’ll start doing a deep dive and analyze some of the key figures from JK’s manuscript.
Again, if you don’t want to wait, you can go to bit.ly/TheCRISPRGener… and get the eBook version of #TheCRISPRGeneration immediately.
