The Ministry of Education has ordered universities across China to assess their gene-editing research projects, The Beijing News reported Thursday.

The country’s academic institutions will have to vet all such projects launched after January 1, 2013, according to a notice sent to universities in Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Anhui. The vetting process should focus on whether projects are in line with relevant laws and regulations, as well as ethical guidelines. Schools are required to submit a list of their gene-editing projects, along with ethical analyses, by Dec. 31.

The ministry’s notice follows the global news saga of Chinese researcher He Jiankui announcing the birth of two gene-edited babies, which many in the global scientific community condemned as an unprecedented ethical violation. (Image: VCG)