He Jiankui explains his research during an interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in October. He revealed to the organisers of an international conference in Hong Kong on November 26 that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies to prevent them from being infected with HIV. Photo: AP
Opinion
Opinion
Gene editing won’t help the fight against HIV, understanding one’s risk and prevention options will
- Andrew Chidgey says HIV positive men and women can already have HIV negative babies through the use of medication and some well-recognised precautions
- This negates the need for gene editing to prevent transmission of HIV and raises ethical questions about a Chinese scientist’s recently announced research
He Jiankui explains his research during an interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in October. He revealed to the organisers of an international conference in Hong Kong on November 26 that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies to prevent them from being infected with HIV. Photo: AP