Chinese Scientist Who Created Gene-Edited Babies Proposes New Experiment on Embryos
The Chinese scientist who gained widespread criticism in 2018 after claiming that he had created the world’s first gene-edited babies has proposed a new experiment to prevent Alzheimer’s disease using the same method.
In an update to his Twitter account on June 29, He Jiankui suggested gene editing mouse embryos and human fertilized egg cells, or zygotes, to determine if a mutation can protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia associated with memory loss. He emphasized in his proposal that there is no effective drug treatment for the progressive neurological disorder at present.
“More than 5 percent of the population above 60 years old is affected by dementia; of these, two-thirds are the result of Alzheimer’s disease. After the age of 65, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease almost doubles every five years,” He stated….