A scientist responsible for gene editing submitted to Chinese officials

WASHINGTON – The Chinese reprimand has been swift and furious.

A Chinese scientist who claimed to have helped create the first baby in the world to be published by a gene is now under investigation by government agencies and his own university.

He Jiankui, a 34-year-old badociate professor based in Shenzhen, southern China, said his lab had used the powerful CRISPR gene editing tool to modify human embryos.

There is still no independent confirmation of his claim, but scientists and regulators have been quick to condemn the experiment as unethical and unscientific.

The National Health Commission on Monday ordered local officials in Guangdong Province – where Shenzhen is located – to investigate its actions. China's state broadcaster, CCTV, reported on Tuesday that births were confirmed, the case would be dealt with "in accordance with regulations." It is unclear whether he could face possible criminal charges.

The South University of Science and Technology, its employer, said in a statement that it was unaware of its human gene editing work and had opened an investigation. The school said his research "seriously violates ethics and academic standards."

He is also dealing with the investigations of the Expert Committee on Medical Ethics of Shenzhen City and the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

His research team included Michael Deem, his former adviser at Rice University, a professor of physics, who sits on the scientific advisory board of his two genetics companies. Rice said she opened an investigation into Deem's involvement.

"Until now, the main answer in China is to condemn and criticize this work," said Jing-Bao Nie, expert in Chinese bioethics at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

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Follow Christina Larson on Twitter: @larsonchristina

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AP researcher Fu Ting contributed to this report from Beijing.

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This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.