The death of this young girl last year, known by the pseudonym "Mei," occurred about a week after she received an intraspinal infusion containing trillions of viral vectors designed to enter the brain for therapeutic purposes, according to an investigation conducted by Science And Retraction Watch.
This experimental gene therapy aimed to correct a rare genetic disease responsible for delayed cognitive development, according to a report published Thursday, July 23.
Neuroscientist Zilong Qiu, the project's lead researcher, subsequently published in the prestigious Nature magazine, an article on related animal studies which made no mention of Mei.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University announces an investigation and promises sanctions
In response, the medical school of Shanghai Jiao Tong University stated in a press release that it attaches great importance to this matter and has set up a special task force to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident.“.
“ The Faculty of Medicine has always placed great importance on the integrity of scientific research and research standards, and strongly opposes the conduct of medical and scientific research in violation of ethics.", the text specifies.
The statement adds that "severe measures" will be taken depending on the findings of the investigation.
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Insufficiently informed parents, a death kept secret
Mei's parents, who spent more than $800,000 to fund the experiment, were not adequately informed of the risks involved, according to the report by Science and Retraction Watch.
With this treatment, Zilong Qiu was aiming for the world's first brain-targeted gene-editing therapy, designed to rewrite the mutant gene in his neurons to enable him to produce a vital protein, the report said.
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This previously undisclosed death deals another blow to China's ambitions to rival the United States in the biomedical field. after the 2018 scandal surrounding He Jiankui, the biophysicist who had secretly created genetically modified babies.
This unfortunate trial serves as a reminder of the extreme complexity of gene therapy trials. However, many of them have been successful and have made it possible to treat an increasing number of intractable orphan diseases in recent years. Just recently, researchers at the University of San Diego succeeded in treating a rare form of epilepsy in two children, such as Sciences et Avenir reported it July 24th.
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