Gene-Edited Babies: What a Chinese Scientist Told an American Mentor

Stanford is investigating Stephen Quake, a professor of biotechnology, because of his interaction with He Jiankui, the scientist behind the first gene-edited babies. “I hold myself to high ethical standards,” said Dr. Quake, who was once Dr. He’s academic adviser.

PALO ALTO, Calif. — “Success!” read the subject line of the email. The text, in imperfect English, began: “Good News! The women is pregnant, the genome editing success!”

The sender was He Jiankui, an ambitious, young Chinese scientist. The recipient was his former academic adviser, Stephen Quake, a star Stanford bioengineer and inventor.

“Wow, that’s quite an achievement!” Dr. Quake wrote back. “Hopefully she will carry to term...”

Months later, the world learned the outcome of that pregnancy: twins born from genetically engineered embryos, the first gene-altered babies. Reaction was fierce. Many scientists and ethicists condemned the experiment as unethical and unsafe, fearing that it could inspire rogue or frivolous attempts to create permanent genetic changes using unproven and unregulated methods.

A Chinese government investigation concluded in January that Dr. He had “seriously violated ethics, scientific research integrity and relevant state regulations.”

Questions about other American scientists’ knowledge of Dr. He’s plans and their failure to sound a loud alarm have been an issue since Dr. He revealed his work in November.

But now, Dr. Quake is facing a Stanford investigation into his interaction with Dr. He. That inquiry began after the president of Dr. He’s Chinese university wrote to Stanford’s president alleging that Dr. Quake had helped Dr. He.

“Prof. Stephen Quake provided instructions to the preparation and implementation of the experiment, the publication of papers, the promotion and news release, and the strategies to react after the news release,” he alleged in letters obtained by The New York Times. Dr. Quake’s actions, he asserted, “violated the internationally recognized academic ethics and codes of conduct, and must be condemned.”

Dr. Quake denied the allegations in a lengthy interview, saying his interaction with Dr. He, who was a postdoctoral student in his lab eight years ago, had been misinterpreted...