Epstein Emails Expose Secret Plan to Bankroll Radical Designer Baby Venture
Newly released documents from the Department of Justice have revealed that Jeffrey Epstein was collaborating with a self-described 'mad scientist' on an ambitious plan to create 'the first live birth of a human designer baby, and possibly a human clone' within a five-year timeframe. The fresh batch of Epstein files, made public on Friday, includes a series of email exchanges between Epstein and Bryan Bishop, who in 2018 was actively seeking financial backing for a venture focused on genetically enhancing human offspring and ultimately replicating humans through cloning techniques.
Epstein's Willingness to Quietly Fund Controversial Science
In a July 21, 2018 email, sent years after Epstein had already faced criminal scrutiny for sex trafficking offences, Bishop sent Epstein a detailed pitch deck outlining the project and its scientific aims. Epstein's reply was telling: 'I have no issues with investing. The problem is only if I am seen to lead.' This exchange strongly suggested that Epstein was willing to quietly bankroll the controversial genetic engineering effort while carefully avoiding public association, a pattern that would recur throughout their subsequent correspondence.
Weeks later, on August 5, Bishop detailed the substantial funding required to move beyond what he described as a self-funded 'garage biology' phase. 'Attached doc shows ~$1.7m/year for up to five years + $1m for lab setup,' Bishop wrote, estimating total costs of up to $9.5 million for the ambitious project. In a separate email, Bishop revealed that the group was 'proceeding with more mouse testing' at a Ukrainian laboratory, including complex surgeries and microinjections as part of their experimental work.
Radical Genetic Engineering Proposals
Epstein replied enthusiastically to these developments: 'I like implant embryo, wait 9 months. Great ending.' The convicted sex offender indicated he would be interested in investing nearly immediately after Bishop began seeking funds. However, Bishop later told the Daily Mail that he never actually took any money from Epstein, stating: 'We never took funding from Epstein and I'm proud of that.'
At the time of these communications, Bishop identified as a transhumanist and was attempting to launch a 'designer baby' venture focused on permanently altering the human germline, allowing selected traits to be passed from parents to future generations. Working with a former biotech lab scientist, Bishop proposed using experimental genetic techniques to modify human reproductive cells so offspring could inherit enhanced traits such as increased muscle growth, improved disease resistance, and genes associated with longevity.
Ethical Concerns and Regulatory Oversight
Rather than editing embryos directly, Bishop's initial proposal focused on altering sperm-producing cells through advanced gene therapy, an approach that scientists later described as both ethically troubling and technically unproven. Experts who reviewed the plans warned that the work appeared to operate completely outside established medical and regulatory oversight frameworks, raising significant ethical and safety concerns.
By late 2018, however, Bishop informed Epstein that his team was shifting toward an even more radical approach. In an email dated November 26, 2018, Bishop wrote: 'My team has been working on a new technique which does not involve stem cells in the testis, instead it's an embryo editing technique more similar to cloning, which does not require an injection to the [biological father].'
Bishop continued: 'The idea hit us like a bolt of lightning, so we're moving along in that direction. Meanwhile, our overseas lab has reported some mouse testis transfection results. They are observing maybe 5% transfection efficiency, which might be enough; further testing is ongoing. But ultimately, this method is inferior to our new embryo modification technique.'
Commercial Pathways and Overseas Operations
The correspondence also revealed Bishop attempting to map out commercial pathways for the controversial technology. In an email sent October 17, 2018, Bishop outlined elements of a business strategy to Epstein: 'We can do R&D in the US, but yes, I will need to do a careful analysis about medical tourism and other options.'
He proposed forming partnerships with overseas clinics and taking commissions for referring customers, suggesting: 'We can just sell the additive DNA to those overseas clinics. Many ways to structure. In the US, self-experimentation is not explicitly banned. US animal testing is open.'
Connection Through Bitcoin Developer
The emails came about after Epstein reached out to Jeremy Rubin, a Bitcoin developer, on July 19, 2018. 'Bryan Bishop wants to talk to me. Do you know him?' Epstein wrote. Rubin replied: 'Yeah, I do. He's a smart guy, quirk though. Does a mix of Bitcoin things and DNA data storage.' Within days, Epstein and Bishop were connected and began their discussions about the genetic engineering venture.
Overlap with Epstein's Criminal Activities
Court filings indicate that some of Epstein's alleged sexual predation continued as recently as 2018, directly overlapping with the period when he was corresponding with Bishop about the designer baby project. Prosecutors in the US Virgin Islands filed a lawsuit against the estate of Jeffrey Epstein in 2020, alleging that for more than two decades, he orchestrated a widespread conspiracy to traffic young women and girls to his private Caribbean islands.
Authorities say he transported victims by helicopter and boat, where they were subjected to sexual abuse, with some victims reportedly as young as 11 years old. The lawsuit claimed that Epstein's associates helped conceal the abuse through a complex network of shell corporations and financial arrangements.
It remains unknown if Bishop was aware of Epstein's alleged illegal conduct during their communications, but he declined to comment on specific questions regarding Epstein's charges prior to their exchanges. According to the emails, Epstein and Bishop met several times to discuss the venture, though the precise reason for Epstein's interest remains unclear.
Epstein's Transhumanist Interests
The convicted sex offender reportedly told scientists and close friends that he 'hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at his vast New Mexico ranch,' according to The New York Times. Epstein also told one person that upon his death, 'he wanted his head and penis to be frozen,' and he donated to charities that supported transhumanism, the belief that humans can transcend biological limits through scientific and technological advances.
Epstein was first arrested in 2008 on charges related to procuring an underage girl for prostitution in Florida. Following this, he pleaded guilty and served approximately 13 months in a county jail with work release, before his later arrest and death in custody in 2019.
