The report by Xinhua news agency said lead researcher He Jiankui was sentenced to three years and fined 3 million yuan ($430,000).
Two other people received lesser sentences and fines. Zhang Renli was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 1 million yuan. Qin Jinzhou received an 18-month sentence, but with a two-year reprieve, and a 500,000 yuan fine.
He, the lead researcher, shocked the scientific world when he announced in November 2018 that he had helped make the the world’s first genetically edited babies, twin girls born in the same month. He discussed the work in exclusive interviews with the AP.
The announcement sparked a global debate over the ethics of gene editing. He said he he had used a tool called CRISPR to alter a gene in embryos to try to help them resist infection with the AIDS virus.