China Fires Researchers Over Fatal Child Gene Editing Trial

Chinese researchers were fired after an official probe found they concealed a child's death during a gene-editing trial.

Chinese authorities dismissed researchers following an investigation into the world's first brain gene-editing attempt. The trial resulted in the death of a six-year-old child in Shanghai after scientists ignored warning signs and omitted the fatality from their published findings.

• The backgroundThe trial marked the world's first known attempt to perform gene editing inside a child's brain.
• The violationInvestigators discovered that the team accepted money from the patient's family and failed to report adverse safety data from non-human primate tests.
• The consequenceThe responsible scientists were dismissed from their positions following the conclusion of the official probe.