Jeffrey Epstein was collaborating with a Bitcoin developer on a plan to create ‘the first live birth of a human designer baby and possibly a human clone’ within five years, newly released documents reveal.
A fresh batch of Epstein files published by the Department of Justice on Friday includes emails between Epstein and Bryan Bishop, who in 2018 was seeking financial backing for a venture aimed at genetically enhancing offspring and ultimately replicating humans.
In an email on July 21 that year, more than a decade after Epstein had already faced criminal scrutiny, Bishop sent Epstein a pitch deck outlining the project and its scientific aims.
Epstein replied: ‘I have no issues with investing. The problem is only if I am seen to lead.’ The exchange suggested Epstein was willing to quietly bankroll the effort while avoiding public association, a pattern that would recur throughout their correspondence.
Weeks later, on August 5, Bishop detailed the 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.
In a separate email, Bishop said the group was ‘proceeding with more mouse testing’ at a Ukrainian lab, including surgeries and microinjections.
Epstein replied enthusiastically: ‘I like implant embryo, wait 9 months. Great ending.’
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 them 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.
Court filings indicated that some of the alleged predation continued as recently as 2018, overlapping with the period when Epstein was corresponding with Bishop.
However, 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.
Bishop told Daily Mail: ‘We never took funding from Epstein and I’m proud of that.’
It is unknown if Bishop was aware of Epstein’s alleged illegal conduct, but he declined to comment on specific questions regarding Epstein’s charges prior to the communications.
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.
At the time, Bishop, who also identified as a transhumanist, meaning someone who advocates using technology to overcome human biological limitations, was attempting to launch a ‘designer baby’ venture.
This 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 traits such as increased muscle growth, enhanced disease resistance, and genes associated with longevity.
Rather than editing embryos directly, Bishop’s proposal initially focused on altering sperm-producing cells through gene therapy, an approach scientists later described as both ethically troubling and technically unproven.
Experts who reviewed the plans warned that the work appeared to operate outside established medical and regulatory oversight.
By late 2018, however, Bishop told Epstein that his team was shifting toward a 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].
‘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.’
The correspondence also showed Bishop attempting to map out a commercial pathway for the technology.
In an email sent on 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,’ Bishop wrote.
He proposed forming partnerships with overseas clinics and taking a commission for referring customers.
‘We can just sell the additive DNA to those overseas clinics,’ Bishop continued. ‘Many ways to structure. In the US, self-experimentation is not explicitly banned. US animal testing is open.’
According to the emails, Epstein and Bishop met several times to discuss the venture.
While the precise reason for Epstein’s interest in the venture is unknown, 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,’ The New York Times reported.
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.
