Cathy Tie aims to genetically modify embryos to prevent disease
The Story
Canadian serial entrepreneur Cathy Tie, who calls herself “Biotech Barbie,” has launched three biotech companies since 2025 with the goal of editing the genes of human embryos to prevent hereditary diseases. She says she wants to conduct this research openly with regulatory approval and venture capital funding, despite the practice being banned in the UK, US, and China. Tie was previously married to He Jiankui, the scientist who created the world’s first gene-edited babies and served three years in prison.
Key Facts
- Tie launched three biotech companies since 2025 and lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York.
- She was banned from China while en route to live there with her Chinese husband.
- Tie married He Jiankui, who created gene-edited twin girls known as Lulu and Nana; they separated three months after the wedding.
- Tie’s goal is to edit embryo genes to prevent diseases including cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s, and hereditary cancers.
- She says the hardest part of genetically engineering a baby is getting permission; the technical part is not complicated using Crispr-Cas9.
- Germline editing for reproductive purposes is banned in the UK, US, and China, with widespread international agreement against research on embryos that could be born.
- Tie states there is no public funding available for this research; everything is privately funded.
- Investors in a rival startup include OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oliver Mulherin, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who coined the term “the Gattaca stack.”
- Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is already used in the US; company Nucleus Genomics advertises on the New York subway with the tagline “Have your best baby.”
- He Jiankui attempted to edit embryos to give twins HIV immunity, but according to his data the edits were not the ones intended; he still implanted the embryos.
- He now has close to 150,000 followers on X and has written that “designer babies … are inevitable.”
- China’s premier Li Qiang announced new draft regulations in September emphasizing promoting innovative development and accelerating R&D and commercialization of biomedical technologies.
- Tie called her first human gene-editing company the Manhattan Project (also Manhattan Genomics) and earned the nickname Biotech Barbie after a promotional video in the style of the Barbie movie.
- Tie performed Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No 2 at Carnegie Hall for her 30th birthday party, having hired the hall.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No information is available in the source article on the health or wellbeing of the gene-edited twins Lulu and Nana. It is also unclear whether Tie has obtained or applied for regulatory approval for her embryo editing plans.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Cathy Tie – Canadian serial entrepreneur, self-styled “Biotech Barbie”
- He Jiankui – biophysicist, former husband of Tie, created first gene-edited babies
- Sam Altman – CEO of OpenAI, investor in a rival startup
- Oliver Mulherin – husband of Sam Altman, investor
- Brian Armstrong – CEO of Coinbase, investor and creator of term “Gattaca stack”
- Li Qiang – Chinese premier
- Lulu and Nana – twin girls, first genetically modified humans
Sources: The Guardian
