Girl died after gene-editing treatment in China: Report - The Times of India

What the report says

The Times of India, carrying an AFP report, said a six-year-old Chinese girl died last year after an experimental gene-editing treatment for a condition described as non-life-threatening. The report cited an investigation by Science and Retraction Watch. The child was identified by the pseudonym “Mei” and was said to have died about a week after a spinal infusion in March 2025 involving trillions of viral particles intended to reach the brain and correct a rare genetic mutation.

According to the report, Mei had Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome, a rare disorder linked to a single DNA-base mutation. The condition can involve enlarged head size and intellectual disability, but affected people generally are not expected to have shortened lives. The report said her parents paid more than $800,000 toward the experiment and alleged they were not given an adequate explanation of the risks.

The work was led by neuroscientist Zilong Qiu, who was described as among researchers trying to adapt base editing, a more targeted form of CRISPR-related gene editing, into individualized therapies for children with rare genetic disorders. The Times of India/AFP report said Qiu later published a Nature paper on related animal research that did not mention Mei’s case.

The report said seven outside experts who reviewed details of the case believed the research team minimized dangers and proceeded despite limited prospects of success. They also urged scrutiny of data tied to the Nature publication, with some concerns potentially serious enough to raise retraction questions. The case matters because it highlights unresolved ethical and regulatory concerns over first-in-human gene-editing experiments, especially when the target condition is rare but not fatal.