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A new way to make powerful changes at will to the DNA of humans, other animals and plants, much like how a writer changes words in a story, could usher in a transformation in genetic medicine.
Scientists are not just excited about this recently discovered technique because it can snip and edit DNA with precision. It can also do the job more easily and cheaply than other gene-editing methods, making possible research that has historically been difficult, experts say.
Now some of the biologists who unlocked this tool, derived from the immune system of bacteria, are forming companies around it. Although this molecular system, known as Crispr, is not fully understood, researchers believe it can be harnessed to create therapies for intractable genetic diseases.
“In principle, this is a technology that could enable correction of genetic mutations that would otherwise lead to disease,” said Doudna, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology, in a telephone interview. She was among several experts who spoke at a UC Berkeley conference on the subject last month.
Ethical concerns
But because the method is in its infancy and has little precedent with the agencies that regulate medicines, it will almost certainly be a long time before a Crispr-based therapy makes it to market.
Its potential risks also concern some bioethicists.
The Latest on: Editing DNA
via Google News
The Latest on: Editing DNA
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- Gene editing scandal: CRISPR Cas9 method does not cause mutations in monkeys, study findson December 11, 2019 at 6:12 am
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- Horizon Discovery introduces predesigned synthetic sgRNAs to streamline CRISPR gene editing workflowson December 9, 2019 at 7:52 am
These predesigned synthetic sgRNAs, when paired with Cas9 mRNA or Cas9 protein, allow researchers to perform DNA-free gene editing in a new one-part format thereby streamlining their gene editing ...
- Beam Therapeutics Presents Preclinical Data for Complementary Base Editing Approaches for Hemoglobinopathies at ASH 2019on December 8, 2019 at 4:01 pm
Beam is pursuing the application of base editing, its proprietary CRISPR-based technology that can make precise edits to single base pairs in DNA and RNA. The company has a pipeline of programs in ...
- New tool can rapidly reveal unintended changes made by CRISPR-directed gene editingon December 6, 2019 at 12:03 pm
It is a defense mechanism found in bacteria that can recognize and slice up the DNA of invading viruses. Scientists have learned how to modify this mechanism so it can be directed to "edit" specific ...
- Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market is anticipated to grow at a 14.1% CAGR from 2019 to 2030on December 6, 2019 at 3:53 am
Genome editing, or genome engineering, or gene editing, is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified or replaced in the genome of a living organism. Market Industry ...
- Kafer: Hope for Colorado kids hangs on gene editingon December 5, 2019 at 2:41 pm
Fortunately for Mila and Maxwell, there have been significant advancements in genetic editing since scientists achieved the first big medical breakthrough in genetics in 1978, the creation of ...
- Advances in genome editing through control of DNA repair pathwayson December 2, 2019 at 9:52 am
Eukaryotic cells deploy overlapping repair pathways to resolve DNA damage. Advancements in genome editing take advantage of these pathways to produce permanent genetic changes. Despite recent ...
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