The creator of the gene edited babies He Jiankui was released from a Chinese prison recently. His research posed the grave concern of bioethics and lapse of supervision. Gene therapy was thought by many as a breakthrough in human medical history, while others believed it opened the Pandora’s box.
The Tragic Death of an 18-Year-Old
Jesse Gelsinger, 18, had a rare metabolic disorder called ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency syndrome, or OTCD, in which ammonia builds up to lethal levels in the blood. He managed the condition with a low-protein diet and a regimen of nearly 50 pills a day.
In 1999, the kind-hearted Jesse volunteered to participate in a gene therapy trial with the hope to help others with the same disease. However, a few days later, he became the first person to die as a result of a gene therapy experiment.
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