China’s controversial biophysicist, He Jiankui, who made headlines in 2018 for creating the world’s first gene-edited babies, has been released after serving time for his actions. Jiankui, known for editing the genomes of three girls to protect them from HIV, is now aiming to use similar techniques to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite the previous backlash, Jiankui is pushing forward with plans to introduce a gene mutation found in Icelandic individuals who are Alzheimer’s-free and have longer lifespans. While his intentions may seem noble, this type of germline editing is prohibited in most countries and was the cause of his previous legal troubles.

Jiankui is currently fundraising for research and plans to conduct initial tests on animals before moving towards human trials. Speculation suggests that he may target South Africa for future trials, where germline gene editing was recently legalized.

Jiankui gained notoriety for editing an embryo gene to confer HIV resistance, sparking global concerns about safety, consent, and ethics. He was sentenced to three years in prison by Chinese authorities for illegal medical practices.

The proposal to tackle Alzheimer’s through gene editing comes at a time when gene-editing technology is rapidly progressing in somatic therapies for severe diseases. While editing genes for living patients shows promise, the controversial practice of editing embryos for reproductive purposes, especially to address complex diseases, remains a contentious issue in the field of biomedicine.