UC Berkeley researcher, told of CRISPR’d baby study a year ago, warned scientist not to do it

SAN FRANCISCO — A year before He Jiankui shocked the world with claims that he had created gene-edited babies, the Chinese scientist confided his plans in a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley.

The researcher, Mark DeWitt, told no one. But his response at the time was unmistakable: Don’t do it.

“I thought it was a terrible idea, with or without any kinds of approvals. I told him that. I said: ‘You’re not ready,’” Dewitt told STAT.

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