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Doctor who gene-edited babies jailed for three years

He Jiankui shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twins whose genes had allegedly been altered to confer immunity to HIV. [AFP/File / Anthony WALLACE]

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced the doctor who claimed to be behind the world's first gene-edited babies to three years in prison for illegal medical practice, state media reported.

He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twins whose genes had allegedly been altered to confer immunity to HIV, was also fined three million yuan (USD430,000), Xinhua news agency said.

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