Last year, a little-known Chinese startup took center stage at the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy annual convention in New Orleans. But Luk said the data indicated benefit and the company was about to test a higher dose. Luk quietly departed last summer, alongside Chief Technology Officer TJ Cradick, a longtime U.S.-based gene editing executive who had been there less than a year. In February, a listing on a clinical trial registry was updated to announce the study was “complete.” But after a monthslong STAT investigation and repeated questions to the company, HuidaGene on Wednesday issued an update.