Second child dies in gene-editing trial in China within months

A second child has died in a gene-editing clinical trial in China, with Shanghai-based HuidaGene confirming on Wednesday that a boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy died in August last year during a gene-editing trial.

The company said it had conducted a comprehensive investigation including laboratory tests, immunological and pathological analysis, and an autopsy, with full results submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in January. More scientific details will be disclosed after publication.

The death follows reports that a six-year-old girl died in March last year after receiving the world's first brain-targeted gene-editing treatment at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai. Health authorities in Shanghai and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have launched investigations into that case.

HuiGene said it had informed the regulatory authorities and is working with them on follow-up procedures.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓