US Nobelist Was Told of Chinese Scientist’s Gene-Edited Babies

US Nobelist Was Told of Chinese Scientist’s Gene-Edited Babies
In this file photo, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Craig Mello, front, acknowledges applause from members of the Massachusetts House and Senate on the floor of the House Chamber at the Statehouse in Boston on July 19, 2007. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File
The Associated Press
Updated:

Long before the claim of the world’s first gene-edited babies became public, Chinese researcher He Jiankui shared the news with a U.S. Nobel laureate who objected to the experiment, yet remained an adviser to He’s biotech company.

The revelation that another prominent scientist knew of the work, which was widely condemned when it was revealed, comes as scientists debate whether and how to alert about troubling research, and the need for clearer guidelines.