Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier have been awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their revolutionary work on ‘gene scissors’ that can edit DNA.
American biochemist Jennifer A. Doudna, left, and French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry.
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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.
CRISPR enables editing DNA with unprecedented precision.
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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.
Introducing healthy genes to replace defective ones is the essence of gene therapy.
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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.
CRISPR/Cas is a tool for editing genes.
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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.
Researchers are now testing treatments for several kinds of visual impairment.
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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?
A researcher performs a CRISPR/Cas9 process at the Max-Delbrueck-Centre for Molecular Medicine in Germany .
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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.
The team used CRISPR on human embryos in a bid to render them resistant to HIV infection. But instead, they generated different mutations, about which we know nothing.
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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.
How far will we allow genetic enhancement to go?
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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 has many applications, including targeted gene therapy, but the precision of the technology still has a way to go.
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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.
When it comes to reproduction, couple have more choices than ever before.
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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.
What’s the best way to put the brakes on current research?
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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