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Summary of article:
The death of a Shanghai girl after receiving gene editing therapy sparked an investigation. Authorities determined that there were multiple violations in research, ethics, and declaration of interests, and Qiu Zilong and others were expelled from research for five years.
The journal Science published an article in July this year stating that a six-year-old girl in China died in 2025 after undergoing a gene editing therapy trial by Qiu Zilong’s research team at Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The investigation and settlement working group established by the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government released its investigation results yesterday and determined that Qiu Zilong’s team had committed serious violations in pre-clinical research, ethical review and other aspects. It was decided to expel Qiu Zilong and others, and be recorded in the database for serious violation of trust in scientific research integrity, and banned from applying for scientific research projects within five years.
According to widespread media reports, the girl involved suffers from the rare “Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome”, for which there is currently no cure. Last year, the girl’s parents took the initiative to contact Qiu Zilong’s team at the Songjiang Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine to try gene editing treatment. On March 24, 2025, the girl completed gene editing injections at Xinhua Hospital, and on March 31, she died of thrombotic microangiopathy, a complication of the gene therapy, which failed to save her. The incident was hidden from the public for more than a year until the international magazine “Science” exposed it in July this year. An emergency review by the hospital ethics committee determined that the cause of death was directly related to the gene therapy.
The Shanghai official notification said the incident involved three major violations. The first is a preclinical research violation: Qiu’s team failed to inform the clinical side of the moderate to severe liver and kidney damage that appeared in the non-human primate safety report; When the paper was published in February 2026, it did not disclose the results of the primate safety report and the negative clinical consequences of the child’s death, and had academic irregularities such as inconsistent research methods and details.
The second is a failure in ethical review: Xinhua Hospital’s clinical research was not scientifically reviewed, and the ethics committee approved the study despite insufficient preliminary toxicology and safety evidence. Although the informed consent form listed the risk of serious complications, it did not focus on the risk of death. The third is to accept large amounts of property: the children’s families contributed a total of 5.337 million yuan (RMB, same below, about US$793,000) to finance the research, and some personnel gave property totaling about 1.06 million yuan, of which Yang received 900,000 yuan of high-end wine and liquor, and Qiu Zilong received property of about 100,000 yuan. Found. The relevant assets have been returned and handed over, and the paper has not truthfully disclosed any conflicts of interest.
The notice stated that the authorities have decided to expel the person in charge Qiu Zilong and team member Yang, revoke their qualifications to participate in science and technology projects and give awards within five years, and register them in the database of serious violations of trust in scientific research integrity. Clinical research leader Yu Moumou and others were dismissed and demoted. Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, and Songjiang District Central Hospital were interviewed and ordered to make improvements, and the relevant medical institutions were given administrative penalties.
The report also said that the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission has drawn up a special inspection plan for clinical research on new biomedical technologies, emphasizing that high-risk clinical research such as cell and gene therapy must comply with industry regulations.
Summary FAQ
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A 6-year-old girl suffering from a rare genetic disease died on March 31 due to complications of thrombotic microangiopathy after receiving gene editing injections from Qiu Zilong’s team at Shanghai Xinhua Hospital in March 2025. The incident was later highlighted by international magazines.
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The investigation pointed to three major problems: preclinical safety data were not fully disclosed, and the paper did not disclose negative results; The ethics review was still issued despite insufficient evidence; Additionally, this included accepting family money and property and failing to truthfully disclose conflicts of interest.
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The authorities decided to expel Qiu Zilong and others, revoke their eligibility to participate or participate in scientific research projects and awards within five years, and register them in a database for serious breach of trust. Relevant hospitals and personnel were also interviewed, dismissed or demoted and required comprehensive reform.
