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Chinese scientist behind gene-edited babies to speak at Oxford University
- The academic who invited He Jiankui to Britain says they will discuss the ethics of his research in a series of public talks in March
- He, who was released from prison earlier this year, says he is now looking at how CRISPR technology can help treat genetic diseases
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The Chinese scientist responsible for the world’s first gene-edited babies says he will be visiting Britain to speak at Oxford University early next year.
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He Jiankui, who was released from prison after serving a three-year sentence for illegal medical practices in April, said he will be giving a series of public interviews at the university in March.
The scientist stunned the world in 2018 when he announced that he helped produce the babies, whose genes had been modified with the aim of increasing HIV resistance.
In a post on Weibo, he thanked Professor Eben Kirksey, a fellow of St Cross college, for inviting him to give the talks about the use of CRISPR gene-editing technology in reproductive medicine which will be broadcast online.
On Friday he confirmed that he would be making the visit but did not elaborate further.
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Kirksey, who has written a book on the gene-editing experiment, said the talks had been approved by the university’s research ethics committee and would explore the circumstances that led to the birth of the gene-edited twin girls, nicknamed Lulu and Nana, in 2018. A third child, known as Amy, was born the following year.
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