Entrepreneur Cathy Tie aims to genetically modify embryos for disease prevention
9 reported1 unconfirmed
According to a single-source report from The Guardian, Canadian entrepreneur Cathy Tie, who calls herself “Biotech Barbie,” has launched three biotech companies since early 2025 and is pursuing germline gene editing to prevent heritable diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s, and hereditary cancers. Tie, who married and separated from biophysicist He Jiankui — the scientist who created the world’s first gene-edited babies and served three years in prison — says she wants to conduct her work openly and transparently with regulatory approval and venture capital funding. She argues that gene editing is “the most consequential technology of our generation” and that private funding is necessary because no public funding is available for such research. Tie has named her first human gene-editing company the Manhattan Project, drawing a parallel between understanding the atomic nucleus and the cell nucleus. The article notes that germline gene editing for reproductive purposes is banned in the UK, US, and China, and that international agreement prohibits research on embryos that could be brought to term. Tie’s birthday party at Carnegie Hall in late April featured a piano performance, and she has lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York since early 2025, while discovering she was banned from China, her country of birth.
What’s reported
Cathy Tie is a Canadian serial entrepreneur who calls herself “Biotech Barbie.”
She launched three biotech companies since the start of 2025 and lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York.
Tie married He Jiankui, who created the world’s first gene-edited babies and served three years in prison; they separated three months after their wedding.
Tie wants to edit the genes of embryos to prevent diseases including cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s, and hereditary cancers.
She says she wants her work to be done openly and transparently with regulatory blessing and venture capital investment.
Germline gene editing for reproductive purposes is banned in the UK, US, and China.
Tie named her first human gene-editing company the Manhattan Project.
She performed Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No 2 at Carnegie Hall for her 30th birthday party in late April.
Tie discovered she was banned from China while en route to begin a new life with her Chinese husband.
Open questions
The article does not specify what regulatory approvals Tie has sought or obtained, nor does it detail the current status of her companies’ research.
Key figures
Cathy Tie: Canadian entrepreneur, self-styled “Biotech Barbie”
He Jiankui: Biophysicist, Tie’s former husband, created the world’s first gene-edited babies
Sam Altman: Investor in gene editing startup Preventive
Brian Armstrong: CEO of Coinbase, investor in Preventive
Li Qiang: Chinese premier who announced new draft regulations on biomedical technologies
Sources: The Guardian
