Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier have been awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their revolutionary work on ‘gene scissors’ that can edit DNA.
The tools to rewrite the genetic code to improve crops and livestock, or to treat genetic diseases, has revolutionized biology. A CRISPR engineer explains why this technology won the Nobel, and its potential.
Most scientific discoveries these days aren’t easily ascribed to a single researcher. CRISPR is no different – and ongoing patent fights underscore how messy research can be.
Our approach to controversial technologies shouldn’t be guided by scientists alone, nor by peddlers of misinformation on social media. A citizens’ assembly could walk the line between the two.
The immune system is trained to destroy viruses, even when they carry therapeutic cargo as is the case in gene therapy. Now researchers have figured out how to dial down the immune response.
A person dies of opioid overdose once every 13 minutes in the US. A researcher proposes a way using existing technology to remove the opioid target in people to prevent overdoses.
What criteria should be used to determine whether a food is natural? What if gene-editing techniques produce changes indistinguishable from those that evolve naturally? Is the food still natural?
One year after the first CRISPR babies were announced, changes in policies and regulations have meant that there have been no new CRISPR announcements since.
A number of things may have gone wrong when researchers edited Chinese twins Lulu and Nana’s genome. Either way, the failed experiment is a cautionary tale for us all.
In a new study, a team of US scientists have used gene editing to change the genetic code of white blood cells and transform them into more efficient tumor fighting cells. How did they do it?
CRISPR technology is continually improving to make it more specific, but serious consideration should be given to when and how CRISPR is safe for gene editing.
CRISPR technology could have momentous effects if it’s used to edit genes that will be inherited by future generations. Researchers and ethicists continue to weigh appropriate guidelines.
A ban on clinical trials involving gene editing rules out the controversial procedure done in China. But it also prevents procedures that could offer couples a chance for healthy children without genetic disorders.
Scientists and ethicists have called for a five-year moratorium on editing human genes that will pass on to future generations. Yes, society needs to figure out how to proceed – but is this the best way?
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford