BEIJING | China says doctor behind gene-edited babies acted on his own

BEIJING—Jan 21, 2019—Chinese investigators have determined that the doctor behind the reported birth of two babies whose genes had been edited in hopes of making them resistant to the AIDS virus acted on his own and will be punished for any violations of the law, a state media report said Monday.

Investigators in the southern province of Guangdong determined Dr. He Jiankuiorganized and handled…

GENEVA | World Health Organization wants panel to study gene editing

GENEVA— The chief of the World Health Organization says his agency is assembling experts to consider the health impacts of gene editing.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that gene editing “cannot be just done without clear guidelines” and experts should “start from a clean sheet and check everything.” Tedros’ comments followed Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s announcement…