Chinese academic community speaks out on He Jiankui again: Consensus statement on the challenges and responses of science and technology ethics governance
At the end of 2019, He Jiankui was sentenced to 3 years in prison for “illegal medical practices”. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Health Commission of P.R. China have banned him from engaging in any work related to reproductive science such as in vitro fertilization, and prohibited him from conducting further research in genetic editing.
On November 24, 2022, He Jiankui announced on his personal Weibo account for the establishment of the He Jiankui Laboratory in Beijing's Daxing district, and extensively promoted his rare disease research plan through social media and the press, calling it a “new starting point, a new journey”.
On February 13, 2023, Nature News reported that He Jiankui participated in an online exchange event organized by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, focusing on life ethics regulation. Many scholars were disappointed with his speech, which they believed was “a publicity stunt” that only “left the impression of a salesperson” [1]. Similar disappointment and criticism were expressed by the Chinese academic community toward He Jiankui's speech.
On March 2, 2023, a Conference on “Challenges and Responses to Ethical Governance of Science and Technology” was held in Beijing. The Conference was organized jointly by Center for Ethics and Morality, People's University of China, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College. Over 200 scholars from all over the country attended the conference.
- 1.
Defending Ethics: Denouncing He Jiankui: We strongly condemn He Jiankui's attitude and refusal to reflect on his criminal actions of violating ethics and regulations of gene editing, as well as his misleading marketing campaign for rare disease research that lacks scientific and ethical foundation. We urge the relevant authorities to recognize the adverse impact of his recent activities and plans on the ethical and sustainable development of the gene therapy and rare disease research, as well as on the welfare of the patients and their families. We urge the academic community, industry, and investors to jointly resist such irresponsible actions, and particularly call upon industry sector to take their social responsibilities and fulfil the obligations of legal compliance, and make decisions on funding schemes for projects involving significant public interests in a transparent and responsible manner. The ethical boundaries shall not be crossed. We suggest that regulatory authorities launch an investigation into He Jiankui's alleged re-violation of scientific integrity, ethical norms, laws and regulations.
- 2.
Upholding Research Ethics: Implementing Regulations and Bolstering Self-Discipline: We suggest that researchers in relevant fields to implement the official Regulation of Ethical Review for Life Sciences and Medical Research Involving Humans [2], jointly issued by the National Health Commission of P.R. China, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, and National Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine, to protect the rights and interests of research participants. We suggest that regulatory authorities promptly improve the regulation on the prohibition for misconduct in emerging technology fields such as gene editing. The recently released Regulation of Administrative Sanctions [3] by the Ministry of Science and Technology is a positive step in this direction, as it provides a framework for penalizing those who violate ethical standards in scientific research. The Chinese academic community should further strengthen the self-discipline in scientific ethics governance.
- 3.
Fostering Interdisciplinary Dialogues: Encouraging Debates and Public Engagement in Emerging Technologies: Active discussions and debates on controversial issues in emerging technologies among professionals in the fields of science and technology, ethics, law, humanities and social sciences should be encouraged and supported. We should enhance various forms of communication between the academic community and the general public to encourage public participation and supervision.
- 4.
Transparency in Research Ethics Investigations: Improving Decision-Making Processes for Public Trust: We urge the relevant regulatory agencies to enhance the transparency of investigations and decision-making processes concerning high-profile cases of research ethics violations, particularly those with potential harm on public interests. This will facilitate timely understanding of relevant situations by the academic community and the public.
- 5.
Global Collaboration: Showcasing China's Progress and Fostering International Communication: International academic exchanges in the field of emerging technologies should be promoted to better inform the international community of China's efforts and progress in improving the ethics and governance for science and technology, enhance mutual understanding in the field, promote international collaborations to address the common challenges faced by mankind from the emerging technologies.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Xiaomei Zhai: Conceptualization (lead); resources (lead); writing—original draft (lead).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
(The Chinese version of this expert consensus was officially published online as a media release on March 5, 2023 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RN3mElJqzYbFoIbJIJ72CQ), which has not been peer-reviewed. The author has incorporated additional contents in this English version after the publication of the Chinese version. We thank Haibo Wang and You Wu for their constructive advices on the revision. We thank the Center for Ethics and Morality, People's University of China, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College for organizing the symposium. We thank the symposium's keynote speakers, whose remarks served as the foundation for this consensus: Hu Chinli, Pediatrician, Professor, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai University of Communications, the former Associate Director General; Li Wei, Senior Research Fellow and Vice-President of Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; Wang Haoyi, Senior Research Fellow, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; Peng Yaojin, Senior Research Fellow, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; Zhai Xiaomei, Professor, Peking Union Medical College; Academician, Chinese Academy of Medical Science; Executive Director, Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College; Acting President, Ethics Committee, National Health Commission; Fellow, The Hastings Center; Qiu Renzong, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Professor/Director, Institute of Bioethics, Center for Ethics and Morality, People's (Renmin) University of China; Fellow, The Hastings Center; Shi Jiayou, Professor, School of Law; Executive Director, Center for Civil and Commercial Law, People's (Renmin) University of China; Shen Weixing, Professor, School of Law, Tsinghua University; Man Hongjie, Professor, School of Law, Director, Center for Public Health Governance.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The author declares no conflict of interest.
ETHICS STATEMENT
The author has nothing to report. No patient was involved in the present study.
INFORMED CONSENT
Not applicable.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no data sets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
