--- title: "Sketchy Clinics Are Trying to Hire Doctor Who Gene-Edited Babies" description: "Fertility clinics around the world are asking He Jiankui if he'd be willing to teach them how to use CRISPR to create designer babies." date: "2019-05-29" modified: "2019-05-30" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sketchy-clinics-gene-edited-babies" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "CRISPR" - "designer babies" - "he jianjui" - "the digest" --- # Sketchy Clinics Are Trying to Hire Doctor Who Gene-Edited Babies ![Fertility clinics around the world are asking He Jiankui if he'd be willing t teach them how to use CRISPR to create designer babies.]() *\Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\* ## Designer Babies The news that Chinese scientist He Jiankui had created the [world's first genetically modified babies]() was met with [near-universal condemnation]() from the scientific community. But according to one of He's colleagues, fertility clinics around the world have been far more receptive to the tech — with many even asking He if he'd be willing to teach them how to use CRISPR to create gray-market designer babies. ## Gene Hackman That's according to a pair of stories [by *Stat*]() and [the *Associated Press*](). The gist of both reports is that William Hurlbut, a professor at Stanford University with whom He [corresponded about the project]() before the babies were born, says that the Chinese scientist has been deluged with come-ons from fertility clinics that want to learn how to create gene-edited babies on their own. Hurlbut even provided an email He forwarded him from a clinic in Dubai. "There is a real risk of the commercialization of this," Hurlbut told *Stat*. "There probably are fertility clinics eager to offer these services and people naive enough to want them." ## Entirely Credible CRISPR co-inventor Jennifer Doudna said that she wasn't surprised by clinics' inquiries about designer baby tech. "I think they’re entirely credible," she told the *Associated Press,* adding that she was aware of others who want to gene-edit human embryos. "The technology is frankly just not ready for clinical use in human embryos." **READ MORE:** [Fertility clinics around the world asked ‘CRISPR babies’ scientist for how-to help]() \[*Stat*\] **More on gene-editing:** [*Scientist Who Gene-Hacked Babies “Likely” Boosted Their Brainpower*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()