CRISPR 2.0: How Much More Precise Can it Get?
A U.S. start-up has entered the race to commercialise CRISPR. By using “base editing,” the company hope to treat some of the most devastating genetic disorders.
Genome editing
Altering the genome, typically to better understand gene and protein function. This also paves the way for gene therapy.
Gentler Gene-Editing With MAGESTIC
Researchers have developed a new platform that makes CRISPR less like a cutting tool and more like a word processor with a search-and-replace function.
How Close Are Criminals to Evading Justice Using CRISPR?
There are fears that CRISPR could be used by criminals to clear their names from forensic databases or evade detection, as access to the technique becomes more widely available.
CRISPR Patent Battle: Round 2
The US Court of Appeals has heard the oral arguments for the next round of the patent battle between the UC Berkeley and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Scientists Create Atlas of the Human Genome Using Stem Cells
The gene atlas enables a new functional view on how we study the human genome, and provides a tool that will change how we study and treat cancer and genetic disorders.
Genomics and Genome Editing in the NHS
The Science and Technology Committee in the UK has released a report detailing the role and success of genomics and gene editing within the NHS.
European Patients to Receive Gene Editing Therapy
Patients in Europe are going to be offered a revolutionary gene-splicing therapy this year for the first time to treat the blood disorder beta-thalassaemia.
Breakthrough Improves Precision of Gene Editing Technology
Researchers have discovered a way to greatly improve the accuracy of gene-editing technology by replacing the natural guide molecule it uses with a synthetic one called a bridged nucleic acid, or BNA.
Weekend Reads, week 15
Some are exciting (Bill Gates on gene editing and George Church on how to live forever), some are informative (lab mice might be too clean, questioning drug pricing and freeing health data). You can read one, or you can read all five. That’s up to you!
Artificial Human Embryos Could Spark a Biological Revolution
Artificial human embryos could soon be on the horizon, but what will it mean? Well, arguably the potential of such a breakthrough could herald a new biological revolution.
Fixing the Code
The Code, Part 2: Does the ability to more easily change the blueprint of life mean we’re on the path to repairing the broken bits in our genetic inheritance? Or have we tried this before and failed?
Will CRISPR Work in Monkeys Confirm Safety for Use in Humans?
Studies using CRISPR on monkeys look encouraging, but more needs to be done before the gene-editing technology can be used on humans.
Finding The Code
The Code, Part 1: The race to sequence the human genome was also billed as a race to end disease. So what happened?
Scientists Tweak CRISPR to Speed Up Genomic Editing
Researchers have tweaked CRISPR, enabling them to monitor the outcome of tens of thousands of gene edits in the time it currently takes to analyse a few.
Lift the Ban On Mitochondrial Replacement, Say Experts
Experts in medicine and law are urging the US to allow for the replacement of mutation-bearing mitochondria to prevent fatal illnesses in children.
