On a Friday evening in late April, Canadian serial entrepreneur and self-styled 'Biotech Barbie' Cathy Tie took center stage at New York City's Carnegie Hall, performing Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No 2 on a Steinway grand piano. Wearing a floor-length pink tulle gown shimmering with gold sequins, Tie played with intense focus, her expression impassive. After the performance, she received a birthday serenade from the orchestra and audience—it was her 30th birthday party, which she had rented Carnegie Hall to celebrate.
Who Is Cathy Tie?
Tie is a difficult person to pin down. Since early 2025, she has launched three biotech companies and lived in three cities (Los Angeles, Toronto, New York). She attempted to move to Beijing but discovered she was banned from China, her birthplace. A year ago, she married He Jiankui, the biophysicist who served three years in prison for creating the world's first gene-edited babies. They separated three months later. Last summer, Tie arrived in New York with little more than a suitcase and her shih-tzu, Charlie, to announce a new venture: a startup that aims to edit the genes of embryos to prevent diseases like cystic fibrosis, Huntington's, and hereditary cancers. Unlike He, she says she wants to work openly and transparently, with regulatory approval and venture capital funding.
The Science of Gene Editing
Since the Crispr-Cas9 gene editing tool was invented in 2012, altering DNA has become relatively straightforward—like using find, copy, cut, and paste on a computer. Editing germline cells (eggs, sperm, early embryos) means changes are passed to every cell of the resulting human and to all future generations. This is why germline gene editing for reproductive purposes is banned in the UK, US, and China, with international agreement that no research should be conducted on embryos that could grow to term and be born as babies.
“This is obviously the most consequential technology of our generation, because it fundamentally impacts and changes our understanding of what we can do with our species,” Tie says. She argues that without public funding, it falls to entrepreneurs to demonstrate benefits and soften regulatory stances. Her goal is to save humanity from heritable diseases, but she admits that if she succeeds, the implications are vast.
Investors and Competition
Money is flowing into human genetic engineering. Gene editing startup Preventive launched in October with investors including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Armstrong coined the term 'the Gattaca stack' for technologies used to create optimized babies, including gene editing for disease prevention and enhancement. Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) is already routine in the US, with companies like Nucleus Genomics advertising on the New York subway with the tagline 'Have your best baby.' Tie isn't fazed by competition. 'I hope there is more funding from billionaires,' she says. 'I believe we're all working on the same goal, which is to show, transparently, what this research can do.'
He Jiankui and the Lulu and Nana Case
China has already demonstrated gene editing's potential. He Jiankui implanted gene-edited embryos, creating twin girls Lulu and Nana, the first genetically modified humans. He aimed to give them HIV immunity but failed to make the intended edits, yet still implanted the embryos. He served three years in jail and a 3 million yuan fine. Since his release, he has become an unrepentant social media star with nearly 150,000 followers on X. Tie named her first human gene-editing company the Manhattan Project, referencing the atomic bomb program. 'Two nuclei are essential for understanding the universe: the nucleus of the atom and the nucleus of the cell,' she says. 'Stopping this research will only drive bad actors to do it secretively. There is no way to stop this.'
Origin Genomics and Transparency
Despite her commitment to openness, much of Tie's work is shrouded in secrecy. She won't reveal team members or investors. Her first startup, the Manhattan Project, shut down in December due to a co-founder dispute. Her current company, Origin Genomics, aims to eliminate severe single-gene mutation disorders. 'It's about preventative pre-birth care for the patients that are carriers of these well-known mutations,' she says. Tie claims newer gene editors are safer than those used by He, and she sequences cells before and after editing to ensure safety. In accordance with US law, embryos are not implanted and are destroyed after 14 days. 'This is to prove to the world that this technology can be safe,' she says.
Alternatives and Ethical Concerns
Gene therapies that work on cells not involved in reproduction already treat conditions like cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. Tie dismisses them as often failing in trials or being extremely expensive. She argues that editing embryos is more defensible than discarding them through selection. 'We shouldn't throw away an embryo because of something small we can fix—we fix it.' When asked about cost, Tie acknowledges that initial costs will be high but believes that should not prevent the technology from existing. Critics worry about creating a genetic divide between rich and poor.
From Designer Pets to Human Embryos
Earlier, Tie used gene editing to biohack pets—creating glow-in-the-dark rabbits, hypoallergenic cats, and even dragons—with her startup the Los Angeles Project. She says that was a way to understand human embryology. 'I'm not familiar with the animal consent process because I don't work with that company right now,' she says, declining to elaborate.
Personal Background and Relationship with He
Tie's family moved from China to Canada when she was four. She won a Thiel Fellowship at 18, dropped out of university, and founded Ranomics, a genetic testing company. She was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2018. She met He Jiankui in 2023 and married him in 2025, but was banned from entering China. They separated after three months. Tie is reluctant to discuss the relationship, calling it 'not legally married' and squirming when asked. She says the biggest problem with He's experiment was secrecy, not the science itself. When pressed about the twins' unknown fate, she says, 'That is certainly very serious,' but has nothing more to say.
Where to Draw the Line?
Tie insists Origin Genomics will focus only on severe diseases. But she previously had no qualms about enhancing animals. As for human enhancement, she says the technology is not ready, but 'society is complex.' She believes regulators should decide the limits, not her. 'At some point, my job ends at giving the data to the people who are democratically elected to protect society.'
Tie is weary of comparisons to the 'move fast and break things' mentality of Silicon Valley. 'No one is trying to move fast and break things here,' she says. 'Everyone's moving at a pace that is appropriate by scientific standards.' She expects more backlash but hasn't seen it, which she takes as a sign of changing opinions.
Public Debate and Future
In a public debate with bioethicist Prof I Glenn Cohen, Tie argued that waiting for global consensus is dangerous. By the end, even Cohen agreed that gene editing for some diseases should be allowed when no other option exists. 'The tide is turning!' Tie told me triumphantly. Whether she will be the one to legalize it remains to be seen. 'I'm not perfect. I do make mistakes sometimes, but I learn very quickly and I'm not afraid to continue taking risks.' In a field where mistakes can have generational consequences, that may not be reassuring.
