Scientist apologises for leak of gene editing result , govt denounces work

A hospital linked to Chinese scientist's gene-editing research suggested its ethical approval had been forged.

A Chinese scientist at the centre of a controversy over what he claims are the world's first genetically edited children apologised on Wednesday for the result being leaked unexpectedly as he detailed his findings at a conference in Hong Kong.

He Jiankui, an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, addressed a packed hall of around 700 people attending the Human Genome Editing Summit at the University of Hong Kong.

"First, I must apologise that this result was leaked unexpectedly. This study has been submitted to a scientific journal for review," He said. He did not name