Hongkong visa cancelled for Chinese scientist behind gene-edited baby controversy

Succumbing to the pressure from several quarters, the Hong Kong authorities cancelled visa of controversial Chinese scientist He Jiankui who was sent to jail for creating world’s first gene edited babies. Hong Kong authorities’ decision to revoke his visa has caused a huge embarrassment to Beijing as the former British colony is actually controlled by The People’s Republic of China. Though Hong Kong operates legal system and immigration channels but real command lies with Beijing which sends command to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The Hong Kong government launched a criminal investigation in the case after cancelling his visa on the ground that he made false statements in the application. The authorities however added that it would be mandatory for future applicants under the visa scheme to declare if they had a criminal record. This requirement did not exist earlier. However, global researchers pointed fingers at Hong Kong authorities for compromising with the official guidelines. Applications for a visa or entry permit under the scheme “may be favourably considered” if there is no security objection or no known record of serious crime regarding the applicant, according to the Immigration Department’s website.

Kiran Musunuru, a leading genetics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, earlier criticised Hong Kong’s decision to grant visa to He stating that he was appalled to know it. “He Jiankui is a convicted criminal” and “woefully incompetent as a scientist”, he told News Agency AFP. “Experimenting on children and causing them genetic damage, as he did, is in my view a form of child abuse.”

He Jiankui had claimed in 2018 that he had created the world’s first gene-edited babies using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. He said he had used the technology to disable a gene that allows the HIV virus to enter cells in embryos that were later implanted in the womb, resulting in the birth of twin girls. A third child who had undergone gene editing was born the following year. This announcement was met with widespread condemnation from the global scientific community. He was arrested and sent to jail by the Chinese court in December 2019. The court imposed a fine of 430,000 US dollars. The court clearly stated that he had been “illegally carrying out human embryo gene-editing intended for reproduction”, Chinese state media reported at the time.

Two of He’s fellow researchers were also sentenced in 2019. Zhang Renli was handed a two-year jail term and fined one million yuan, while Qin Jinzhou was given 18 months, suspended for two years, and fined 500,000 yuan. The trio had not obtained qualifications to work as doctors and knowingly violated China’s regulations and ethical principles, according to the court verdict.

His actions were considered a blunder and a violation of ethical and scientific norms for several reasons. For one, there was no consensus or oversight from the scientific community regarding the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for editing the human germline. Editing the germline can have long-lasting and unpredictable effects on future generations, and many scientists believe that this technology should not be used for this purpose until the risks and benefits have been thoroughly evaluated.

Another reason was that He conducted experiments in secrecy and without taking consent of the parents involved. This violated ethical guidelines for human experimentation, which require that subjects be fully informed of the risks and benefits of participating in an experiment and that they give their voluntary and informed consent.

Third and final reason was that his announcement was premature, and his results had not been independently verified. This had damaged public trust in science and could potentially set back progress in the field of gene editing. Researchers however said that the actions of a few rogue scientists should not diminish the important work being done by the scientific community as a whole.

it may be mentioned here that the field of gene editing has huge potential to revolutionize medical treatment and cure many diseases. However, the ethical concerns and risks associated with gene editing must be thoroughly evaluated and addressed before this technology can be used safely and responsibly in clinical practice. There is a need to lay emphasize on the importance of ethical guidelines and standards in scientific research as that alone will ensure the integrity and progress of scientific discovery.

It is crucial for scientists to learn from the mistakes of the past and to prioritize ethical conduct in their research. As regard to He Jiankui, the Chinese government should look into the matter and take necessary action so that such incidents are not repeated or else, the Xi government should be ready to face embarrassment by individuals like He.