Huidagene Trial Divides Experts After Boy’s Death — SkimNews
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- Huidagene’s gene-editing trial was linked to a young boy’s death last year, the event prompting scrutiny of the company’s decisions.
- Alvin Luk, Huidagene’s former CEO, presented the company’s early data three months before the boy’s death at the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy’s Presidential Symposium, described as one of the field’s biggest stages.
- STAT asked several experts in gene editing and muscle disorders to review video of Luk’s presentation.
- The experts came away sharply divided over both the quality of Huidagene’s science and the wisdom of its approach.
- Dongsheng Duan, who has studied gene editing for Duchenne at the University of Missouri for a decade, said, “I’m not impressed.”
Why it matters: Huidagene’s early data, delivered three months before a young patient died, drew sharply divided expert opinions on the company’s science and the wisdom of its approach, leaving its trial decisions under scrutiny without a settled scientific verdict in STAT’s review.
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