The race for gene therapy and the desperation of some parents have ended up costing the life of a six-year-old girl in China. The minor, named Mei – a fictional name to preserve the family's privacy – died at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai in March 2025 due to thrombotic microangiopathy – that is, the formation of deadly microscopic clots – seven days after receiving an injection of a virus at the base of her spine. The parents had opted for this therapy after learning that their daughter had an alteration of the CHD3 gene, which caused her a syndrome compatible with autism and a consequent delay in physical and cognitive development.