Chinese university investigates reported death after gene-editing trial

A Chinese university said on Sunday that it is investigating reports that a gene-editing trial caused the death of a six-year-old girl and that the death was not disclosed in published research.

The girl, identified by the pseudonym Mei, died last year about a week after receiving a spinal infusion of trillions of viruses designed to reach the brain, according to a joint investigation by Science and Retraction Watch. The report said the experimental gene therapy was intended to address a rare genetic condition that delayed her cognitive development.

The report said neuroscientist Zilong Qiu, the lead researcher, later published a paper on related animal studies in the journal Nature that did not mention Mei.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine said it had set up a special working group to carry out a comprehensive investigation. The school said it places importance on research integrity and research standards, opposes medical scientific research that violates research ethics, and would take serious action according to the investigation's findings.

According to Science and Retraction Watch, Mei's parents paid more than $800,000 to fund the experiment and were not adequately informed about the risks. The report said Qiu aimed to offer the world's first gene-editing therapy directed at the brain by rewriting the mutated gene in Mei's neurons so she could produce a vital protein.

The case follows the 2018 scandal involving He Jiankui, a Chinese biophysicist who secretly produced gene-edited babies, and comes as China seeks to rival the United States as a biotechnology power.