An editorial illustration for Science Magazine accompanying an investigation into an experimental gene-editing treatment developed for a six-year-old girl with a rare genetic condition.

As the treatment’s only clinical trial participant, the girl became part of an unprecedented attempt to correct her genetic mutation. The treatment ultimately led to her death, raising profound questions about scientific ambition, risk, hope, and the responsibility behind experimental medicine.

The illustration explores the story through the intimate perspective of the child and her parents, blending emotional storytelling with visual references to gene editing and medical research.