A Chinese biotechnology startup was at the center of an important debate during the annual meeting of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy in New Orleans. HuidaGene, a lesser-known company in the industry, presented data from one of the first global clinical trials investigating the ability of CRISPR gene editing to treat children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal and incurable disease. While similar initiatives in the United States have faced technical obstacles, HuidaGene has moved quickly, using a regulatory pathway in China that allows hospitals to launch studies without direct oversight from government agencies, fueling questions about oversight of sensitive research.
Initial results from the first two patients were not considered conclusive, and the effectiveness of the therapy remained uncertain. Despite this, Alvin Luk, then CEO of HuidaGene, stated that the data indicated a benefit and that the company planned to test a higher dose, with the hope of achieving much more positive effects.
After the conference, Shanghai-based HuidaGene remained silent for 15 months, without issuing any new press releases. During the summer of 2025, Alvin Luk quietly left the company, as did chief technology officer TJ Cradick, an executive with long experience in gene editing in the United States, who had arrived at the company less than a year ago. In February 2026, a clinical trial registration was updated, indicating that the study was “complete”.
The fate of the remaining patients involved in the study remained unclear for a long time. However, after a months-long investigation and repeated requests for information from the company, HuidaGene released an update on the case on August 5, 2026.
