IN BRIEF A study published earlier this year warned scientists of potential complications with CRISPR/Cas9, but after review by researchers at another institution, the findings of that study are being brought into question. It remains to be seen whether the original study will be corrected or retracted, but this development highlights the importance of peer...
Tag: <span>Crispr</span>
Post
The CRISPR controversy: Scientists skeptical over recent critical study
Last month, a study was published claiming that the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique could potentially introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into an animal’s genome. Unsurprisingly, this study sent shockwaves through the scientific community, with the stock prices from several gene-editing companies falling. Critics are now calling into question the veracity of the study, claiming it is filled...
Post
A World First CRISPR Trial Will Edit Genes Inside the Human Body
IN BRIEF The CRISPR process will be used inside the human body for the first time on July 15th to combat HPV, which impacts millions of people worldwide. And this is just one of a huge amount of proposed CRISPR studies occurring soon. UNINVASIVE CRISPR A new CRISPR trial, which hopes to eliminate the human papillomavirus (HPV),...
Post
Closer to a cure: CRISPR cuts HIV from its cellular hideout
CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to eliminate HIV from mice, in another step towards a possible permanent cure Last year, researchers at Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh unveiled a proof-of-concept study that described how the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool could be used to eliminate HIV from infected cells. Now, in another potential step towards a permanent...
Post
CRISPR gene-editing tool targets cancer’s “command center”
Researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 to target DNA sequences specific to cancer, shrinking tumors and improving the survival rates of cancer-stricken mice The CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system can do some pretty amazing things, giving us new ways to fight muscular dystrophy, blindness, and even HIV. But at the top of its hit list is cancer, and now researchers...
Post
A New “CRISPR Pill” Makes Bacteria Destroy Its Own DNA
IN BRIEF An innovative study in the University of Wisconsin-Madison could soon put an end to drug-resistant bacteria by using an edible version of CRISPR. This probiotic could target specific bacteria, making it more effective than antibiotics. TARGETED AND EDIBLE As antibiotic resistance continues to grow, scientists are desperately trying to figure out how to best...
Post
Using CRISPR to reverse retinitis pigmentosa and restore visual function
A confocal micrograph of mouse retina depicting optic fiber layer. Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, with colleagues in China, have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual...
Post
CRISPR cousin SHERLOCK may be able to track down diseases, scientists say
Researchers demonstrate the fluorescent signal generated by SHERLOCK.SCOTT SASSONE/BROAD INSTITUTE If the genome-editing powerhouse CRISPR were a dog, it would be the kind you can train to retrieve everything from Frisbees to slippers to a cold beer. In research reported on Thursday, scientists trained their puppy to be so discriminating it can tell Zika’s genetic...
Post
Screening the dark genome for disease
IMAGE: THIS IS CHARLES GERSBACH, THE ROONEY FAMILY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT DUKE UNIVERSITY. Researchers have developed a method to swiftly screen the non-coding DNA of the human genome for links to diseases that are driven by changes in gene regulation. The technique could revolutionize modern medicine’s understanding of the genetically inherited risks...
Post
U.S. science advisory committee supports genetic modification of human embryos
Embryos could soon be edited—but there are some caveats. Ever since CRISPR—the relatively cheap and easy-to-use genome editing technique—made its way to the scientific stage, researchers have grappled with one of its biggest ethical quagmires: Its ability to edit human embryos, thereby potentially altering the DNA of subsequent generations. The question of whether to allow such a...