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BEIJING — In a mostly empty coworking office on the outskirts of China's capital, a scientist whose name is etched in history is trying to stage a comeback.
He Jiankui announced nearly five years ago that he had created the first gene-edited babies, twin girls named Lulu and Nana. The news sent shockwaves around the world. There were accusations that the biophysicist had grossly violated medical ethics; some critics compared him to Dr. Frankenstein.
And he paid a price. He was swiftly detained and a Chinese court later sentenced him to three years in prison for "illegal medical practices."
About a year ago he got out, and says he took up golf. Then something unexpected happened.
"There [were] over 2,000 DMD patients, they are writing to me, text me, make phone call to me," he says.
DMD, or Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is a genetic disease that causes muscles to waste away. There is no cure yet. The patients, and their families, had heard about He from his baby project, he says.
"They want me to develop therapy for them," he...