Tag: gene editing

Unnatural Selection: the Eye-Opening Netflix Docuseries On Gene Editing

Dream McClinton from The Guardian writes about a new Netflix docuseries, called Unnatural Selection, that “explores the various forms of genetic engineering, as well as the societal and environmental implications of its research and use.” An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from the report: Today, we are learning the language in which God created life,” said then-president Bill Clinton, alongside the…

Putin Could Decide For the World On CRISPR Babies

An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: According to Bloomberg, top Russian geneticists held a “secret meeting” this summer with government health officials in Moscow to debate a bid by a scientist there, Denis Rebrikov, to create babies genetically modified with the gene-editing technology CRISPR. The first such children were born in China last year as part of…

Gene editing turns cells into minicomputers that can record data

Gene editing can turn living cells into minicomputers that record data. The technology could track what happens inside the body over time Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2214203-gene-editing-turns-cells-into-minicomputers-that-can-record-data/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

CRISPR Gene Editing Will Be Used Inside Humans For the First Time in Treatment for Blindness

The first study to test the gene-editing technology CRISPR inside the human body is about to get underway in the United States, according to news reports. Source: https://www.livescience.com/66040-crispr-human-study-blindness.html

Five Couples Have Lined Up for CRISPR Babies To Avoid Deafness

Five Russian couples who are deaf want to try the CRISPR gene-editing technique so they can have a biological child who can hear, biologist Denis Rebrikov told New Scientist. He plans to apply to the relevant Russian authorities for permission in “a couple of weeks.” From a report: The case for using CRISPR for this purpose is stronger than for trying…

Have mice really been cured of HIV using CRISPR gene editing?

Some mice receiving a therapy that includes CRISPR gene editing appear to have been cured of HIV, but safety concerns must be overcome before human trials Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2208261-have-mice-really-been-cured-of-hiv-using-crispr-gene-editing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Another team has used ‘jumping genes’ to upgrade CRISPR gene editing

Two research teams have developed new kinds of CRISPR based on jumping genes. The techniquest could make it much easier to insert pieces of DNA into genomes Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206452-another-team-has-used-jumping-genes-to-upgrade-crispr-gene-editing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

In A World First, Scientists Change Snail’s Shell-Coiling Direction With CRISPR

“Most snails are ‘righties’. Now scientists have found genes that can change the shell coiling direction,” writes the New York Times. ( Non-paywalled version here ) Suren Enfiajyan shares their report:
Studying these snails offers clues to the evolution of body plans in many animals. It also could be important for understanding why up to 10 percent of people are born with…

Two molecules could give us finer control over CRISPR gene editing

Molecules that act like off switches for CRISPR may one day be used as a drug to make gene editing therapies safer and less likely to cause unwanted mutations Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2201578-two-molecules-could-give-us-finer-control-over-crispr-gene-editing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…