Newly released emails from the Epstein files indicate that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein financed genetic testing as part of an apparent effort to use his DNA for regenerative medicine, a field focused on repairing the body by creating new tissues and organs, CNN reported Thursday.
Years after his 2008 conviction on prostitution-related charges, Epstein paid for experimental tests conducted by a physician at one of the US's leading hospitals and explored developing stem cells linked to immune function and healing.
The physician, Joseph Thakuria, then a senior doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, also worked with a major genomic research initiative at Harvard Medical School.
Thakuria told CNN that Epstein participated in the Harvard Personal Genome Project, a publicly accessible international database of genetic data contributed by volunteers to help researchers study genes and human traits.
Thakuria has not previously been publicly linked to Epstein and faces no allegations of misconduct. He was not directly employed by Harvard University or the Wyss Institute, which oversees the Personal Genome Project. Massachusetts General Hospital has no record of authorizing him to conduct the studies referenced in the emails.
An MGH spokesperson said Thakuria left the hospital in 2022.
Documents released by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files include a February 2014 proposal Thakuria sent to Epstein seeking funding for a private initiative to sequence patients' genomes to identify genetic factors underlying their diseases.
The proposal also outlined potential genetic research specifically involving Epstein.
In June of that year, Thakuria sent Epstein an extensive invoice for various projects, including an initial $2,000 payment to sequence part of Epstein's genome.
The invoice included projected costs for "personalized longevity studies," which proposed the use of gene-editing techniques, and noted that Epstein had provided a saliva sample.
The initial payment covered $1,000 to sequence a portion of his genome known as the exome and another $1,000 to sequence fibroblasts—cells found in connective tissues such as skin and muscle that have been used in research on reversing aging. Epstein's staff sent a $2,000 check the same day.
"Mr. Epstein was enrolled in the Personal Genome Project, which would study his genetic predisposition to various health conditions. At one point, a $2,000 check was provided to cover DNA sequencing," Thakuria said in a statement.
"I was a physician-researcher and he [Epstein] was a research subject," Thakuria added.
"We also had early discussions about his potentially funding research, but that never materialized," he said.
"I feel terrible about what his victims went through, and I regret at that time not knowing more about his background and the extent of his crimes," Thakuria said.
The invoice also outlined potential future research, including creating new stem cells starting at $10,000, as well as broader longevity studies involving additional patients.
It noted that sequencing Epstein's entire genome would cost $11,400, or $21,000 if both of his parents were included, though the feasibility of the latter was uncertain.
If all proposed projects had proceeded, the total cost would have reached $193,400.
