He Jiankui (Photo/Tuchong)

Dec. 30 (NBD) -- He Jiankui, a researcher who created the world's first "gene-edited" twin baby girls, was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the ruling by a district court in Shenzhen, China on Monday.

In addition to the prison term, He is requested to pay a fine of 3 million yuan (429,769 U.S. dollars) and will be banned for life from engaging in reproductive medicine.

The court found that a third gene-edited baby was born besides the twin girls that He once claimed.

According to the court, He Jiankui, together with Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou, fabricated ethical examination materials and carried out gene editing and assisted reproduction for many couples infected with HIV. In the way of imposture and concealment of the truth, the genetically-edited embryos were transplanted into human bodies by unwitting doctors through auxiliary reproductive technology. Two women got pregnant and three genetically edited babies were born. 

The court ruled that He, Zhang and Qin had deliberately violated the country's regulations on scientific research and medical management and rashly applied gene-editing technology to assisted reproductive medicine without knowing safety and efficacy of the technology. Zhang and Qin received two years and 10 months of jail time, respectively, as well as fines.

Last November, He announced that he had edited the DNA of human embryos to create twin babies, and the controversial experiment soon sparked public uproar and was criticized by scientists worldwide. Chinese authorities immediately ordered investigations into He and his work.

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn