Girl's Death in China Gene-Editing Trial Was Concealed, Investigation Finds
The university opened a review after investigators said the child’s death and animal safety concerns were omitted from a Nature paper.
- On March 24, 2025, six-year-old 'Mei' received an experimental gene-editing infusion at Shanghai Xinhua Hospital; she died seven days later from a severe immune reaction linked to the treatment, according to a joint investigation by Science and Retraction Watch.
- Lead researcher Zilong Qiu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine conducted the trial under a regulatory provision requiring no national drug regulator approval, while parents contributed around $860,000 to fund the experimental work.
- Preclinical studies reportedly showed liver and kidney damage in monkeys, yet a 2026 Nature paper by Qiu's team omitted these adverse safety signals and the patient's death, according to the Science investigation.
- Local health authorities fined Xinhua Hospital approximately $3,600 for trial oversight and registration failures; the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine established a special working group to investigate the incident.
- This undisclosed fatality complicates China's biotech ambitions, echoing the 2018 scandal involving biophysicist He Jiankui, and demonstrates recurring ethical tensions in oversight of investigator-initiated trials testing high-risk, unproven therapies.
55 Articles
55 Articles
A university in China investigates the death of a 6-year-old girl during experimental genetic therapy. The case, hidden from a scientific study, raises questions about the ethics of medical research.
Hidden Death Rocks Gene-Editing Hype
A six-year-old girl’s quiet death after an experimental gene-editing treatment in China is now a warning sign about how far powerful institutions will go to hide risk when prestige and profit are on the line. Story Snapshot A 6-year-old girl died days after a brain-targeting gene-editing infusion in Shanghai, linked to a severe immune reaction....
A university in China announced Sunday the opening of an investigation, following press reports that a generic editing test led to the death of a six-year-old girl - a death that was not mentioned in a study...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
