-
ScienceBiologyGene-Editing CRISPR Pioneers Get a Well-Deserved Nobel Prize
On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for their pivotal roles in discovering CRISPR/Cas9, an ancient bacterial defense system that’s been adapted into a cheap and revolutionary gene-editing technology. This is the first Nobel in Chemistry to be shared exclusively by two … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthResearchers Give Mice Super Calorie-Burning Fat Cells Using CRISPR
Researchers say they may have found a way to create more useful fat cells using the gene-editing technique CRISPR. In a new study out Wednesday, they found evidence—in mice—that these engineered cells can possibly help the body burn calories quicker, as well as prevent obesity and other metabolic problems, compared to the fat cells most … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthU.S. Trial Finds CRISPR-Edited Cells Are Safe in Cancer Patients
For years, scientists have hoped to use the gene-editing technology CRISPR to help treat all sorts of diseases, including cancer. Now for the first time in the U.S., researchers say they’ve shown that CRISPR-edited immune cells can be safely given to cancer patients and survive for up to nine months—a finding that may signal CRISPR’s … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiologyCRISPR Scientist Gets Three Years of Jail Time For Creating Gene-Edited Babies
Disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui has been sentenced to three years in jail for creating the world’s first genetically modified human babies. The Nanshan District People’s Court of Shenzhen has sentenced He Jiankui to three years in prison and fined him 3 million yuan ($430,000) for violating a government ban on using gene-editing technologies to … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyScientists Debut Precise New Gene-Editing Technique That Overcomes Some of CRISPR’s Problems
Scientists have created a new gene-editing technique that overcomes some of the biggest drawbacks of the popular gene-editing tool CRISPR. Gene editing’s core goal is to quickly and accurately edit genetic code, as if you could simply rewrite parts to get certain desired traits. New gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 and base editors are getting … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyA Study That Linked Shorter Lifespans to CRISPR Baby Mutation Has Been Retracted
An alarming study that added fuel to the fire over a recent controversial genetic experiment in China has now been invalidated. The study, which suggested that a mutation induced by Chinese scientist He Jiankui in human babies could shorten their lives, was retracted late last week, after other scientists failed to find similar results and the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiologyNational Academy of Sciences Removes Video Suggesting Gene Editing Could Be Used to Make Designer Babies
The partially U.S. government-funded National Academy of Sciences removed a webpage with a video describing gene editing in ways that conflict with the organization’s own ethical guidelines. The NAS has updated the webpage where the video once resided with a note saying, “We are concerned that the content, including a video, left the misimpression that … Continued
-
ScienceHealthResearchers Use CRISPR to Remove HIV From Mice
An interdisciplinary team of scientists is claiming to have eliminated the HIV virus from the genomes of mice by combining the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool with an experimental new drug. It’s a promising development in the battle against HIV and AIDS, but more work is required before clinical trials can begin. Using a gene-editing tool like … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyCRISPR Baby Mutation Linked to Higher Risk of Early Death
New research shows that the genetic tweak employed by disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui to make babies immune to HIV carries an associated risk of early death. People with two copies of a mutation that protects against the HIV virus, known as CCR5-delta 32, are more likely to die before age 76 than individuals without … Continued
-
ScienceHealthSubstandard, Superficial, and Absurd: Experts Slam the Science Behind the CRISPR Baby Experiment
A pair of genetic experts are claiming that the controversial human gene-editing experiment conducted by Chinese scientist He Jiankui was not only unethical, it was also deeply flawed from a scientific perspective. The experiment, they said, likely won’t work as intended, and the two girls produced by the project now face uncertain health risks. The … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyGene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made to a Single Human Cell
Using a modified version of CRISPR, a team of geneticists has successfully triggered 13,200 genetic changes to a single human cell. That’s a new record, by a long shot. This sweeping new editing process could eventually be used to strip DNA of useless or dangerous genetic information—or create entirely new kinds of life. New research … Continued
-
Tech News
Robocall Hell, Divination Bot Returns, and a Fake MD: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
The winds of time blow strangely here, in our unfortunate state of internet-enabled perpetual present, but how the heck is it already March? This is not a rhetorical question. If you could explain this to me, that would be great. Yet in keeping pace with the relentless march of seconds turning into minutes turning into … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceBiology
Stanford to Investigate Links Between Faculty and Rogue Chinese Scientist
Three high-profile faculty members at Stanford University are under investigation for alleged ties to He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who claimed to use CRISPR to produce genetically modified human babies last year, MIT Technology Review reports. That many U.S. scientists knew about the unethical experiment, yet chose to remain silent, is no longer in doubt. … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyChina’s Latest Cloned-Monkey Experiment Is an Ethical Mess
Chinese researchers have cloned five gene-edited monkeys with a host of genetic disease symptoms, according to two scientific papers published today. The researchers say they want to use the gene-edited macaques for biomedical research; basically, they hope that engineering sick primates will reduce the total number of macaques used in research around the world. But … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
China Says Gene-Editing Scientist Broke Laws to Pursue ‘Personal Fame and Gain’
The scientist responsible for creating the world’s first genetically modified babies violated government bans and committed fraud, according to Chinese investigators. He Jiankui—and those who helped him—will reportedly now be handed over to security authorities and “severely dealt with.” Officials in Guangdong Province have completed a preliminary investigation of He’s activities, accusing the embattled scientist … Continued
