gene editing

New Study Finds Unintended Consequences of CRISPR Gene Editing

Scientists and biotechnologists have heralded the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system as revolutionary way to edit DNA, like scissors and a glue stick for the genome. But a new study found some potentially harmful unintended effects. This isn’t the first time a paper has found flaws in CRISPR’s abilities, though one previous paper on the matter has…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum Jul 18

UK Ethics Council Says It’s ‘Morally Permissible’ to Create Genetically Modified Babies

The UK’s Nuffield Council on Bioethics says it’s acceptable to genetically engineer human embryos, so long as the interventions aren’t harmful to the future child or society as a whole. The council is taking a surprisingly progressive position on the matter, but we’re still a long way off from the birth of the world’s first…

Biology George Dvorsky Jul 17

Artificial Genome Scientists Want to Build Human Cells That Are Impervious to Viruses

Two years ago, a consortium of scientists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs announced a plan to synthesize an artificial human genome from scratch—an extremely ambitious endeavor that’s struggled to secure funding. Project organizers have now disclosed details of a scaled-down version of the venture, but with a goal that’s still quite audacious: creating human cells that are…

Health George Dvorsky May 1

New ‘Chemical Surgery’ Technique Repairs Mutations in Human Embryos

For the first time, a research team from China used a new technique to fix a blood disorder in human embryos. The scientists performed “chemical surgery”—a procedure that rewrites errors in genetic code instead of snapping and replacing strands of faulty DNA, which is the central strategy employed by the CRISPR gene editing system. The…

Tech News George Dvorsky Sep 28

Scientists Are Making Horrible Red-Eye Mutant Wasps Because Why the Hell Not

Listen, scientists. I appreciate what you do, and boy I sure do love that evidence-based pursuit of knowledge, but did you have to make mutant wasps? Did you? The Nasonia vitripennis wasps’ genomes happen to be one of the most studied of the order of insects that includes wasps, bees and ants, since they’re super…

Tech News Ryan F. Mandelbaum Apr 19

The CRISPR Gene-Editing Tool is Finally Being Used on Humans

A team of scientists in China has become the first to treat a human patient with the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. While the results of the trial are uncertain, it’s a historic milestone that should serve as a serious wakeup call to the rest of the world. A research team led by oncologist Lu You…

Tech News George Dvorsky Nov 16

Monsanto Just Got Access to the World’s Most Powerful Gene-Editing Tool

Agriculture company Monsanto has acquired a non-exclusive global licensing agreement from MIT’s Broad Institute and Harvard to use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system. The firm will use it to design and grow new seeds and plants, but there are key restrictions on its use to prevent Monsanto from abusing this revolutionary new technology. Financial terms of…

Tech News George Dvorsky Sep 23

Why Athletes Will Win the War Against Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Last month, UFC mixed martial artist Jon Jones was busted for using an anti-estrogen drug known as hydroxy-clomiphene, as well as another drug, called Letrozole. Jones denied taking the drugs, claiming he didn’t even know how to pronounce them. Classified as hormone and metabolic modulators, the drugs that Jones was allegedly taking are typically used…

Tech News George Dvorsky Aug 4

Most Americans Fear a Future of Designer Babies and Brain Chips

Most American adults are nervous about the prospect of enhancing humans beyond normal capacities, a new Pew Research Center poll reveals. But while many of those surveyed expressed concerns about brain-boosting chips and designer babies, a significant number had a positive view of technology’s ability to transform humans and society. What makes this new poll…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jul 26

Bio-Engineering Is a Lot Less Dystopian When It Looks Like an Acid Trip

The burgeoning industry of biological design is in the headlines every day. Yet even science journalists have had trouble explaining concepts like CRISPR in terms that everyone can understand. A new exhibition at a Silicon Valley museum skillfully explains the technically and ethically complicated field of bio-engineering to adults—as well as the next generation of…

Tech News Alissa Walker May 5

CRISPR Just Got One Step Closer to Editing Human Genes With Ease

Leveraging the pre-existing power of CRISPR, a team of researchers has made an important adjustment to the groundbreaking gene-editing tool that could make it precise enough for human applications. Researchers from Harvard University have modified the CRISPR system such that it can now alter individual DNA letters in a given gene. This new technique, called…

Tech News George Dvorsky Apr 21

Why the US Government Says It Doesn’t Need to Regulate This Mutant Mushroom

A mushroom that’s resistant to browning has become the first CRISPR-edited food to get green lit by the US government. Here’s how this mutated fungus managed to escape USDA oversight—and why this agency needs to upgrade its regulatory guidelines. Penn State geneticist Yinong Yang created the browning-defying mushroom (Agaricus bosporus) by targeting the family of…

Tech News George Dvorsky Apr 16

Chinese Scientists Genetically Modify Human Embryos—Again

Just one year after scientists in China made history by modifying the DNA of human embryos, a second team of Chinese researchers has done it again. Using CRISPR/Cas9, the researchers introduced HIV-resistance into the embryos, showcasing the tremendous potential for gene-editing. In that earlier work, the Chinese scientists modified a gene responsible for a fatal…

Tech News George Dvorsky Apr 8

Gene-Editing Attacks Can’t Defeat HIV As Easily As We Thought

Scientists are excited about the prospect of using CRISPR, a powerful gene-editing tool, to combat HIV. A discouraging follow-up study shows that HIV is capable of developing a resistance to the genetic attack—but scientists say CRISPR’s battle with HIV is far from over. To quickly recap, scientists have started to use the CRISPR/cas9 gene-editing system…

Health George Dvorsky Apr 7

HIV Genes Successfully Edited Out of Immune Cells

Researchers from Temple University have used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool to clear out the entire HIV-1 genome from a patient’s infected immune cells. It’s a remarkable achievement that could have profound implications for the treatment of AIDS and other retroviruses. When we think about CRISPR/Cas9 we tend to think of it as a tool…

Tech News George Dvorsky Mar 22

Spy Chief Calls Gene Editing a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Gene editing, like CRISPR, is a scientific breakthrough that may help cure diseases, prevent aging, and change humanity. According to the US intelligence community, it’s also a potential weapon of mass destruction. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper added gene editing to a list of threats that includes North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs…

Tech News Kate Knibbs Feb 10

British Researchers Get Approval to Genetically Modify Human Embryos

Less than a year after scientists in China became the first to genetically modify human embryos, a research team in Britain has been given the green light to perform similar work. It’s a huge moment in biotech history—one that could eventually lead to “designer babies.” Last September, scientists at London’s Francis Crick Institute asked the…

Tech News George Dvorsky Feb 1

Gene-Edited Dogs With Jacked-Up Muscles Are a World’s First

Researchers in China are reportedly the first to use a powerful gene editing tool to produce super-muscled dogs. The goal is to create test subjects that mimic degenerative human diseases, but the breakthrough also raises the prospect of customized pets. A cheap and powerful gene editing technique called CRISPR is taking the science world by…

Tech News George Dvorsky Oct 20

A Startup Just Raised $120 Million to Make Gene Editing Medications

Editas Medicine hopes to use CRISPR—a revolutionary new gene-editing technology—to treat conditions such as sickle-cell anemia, cancer, and cystic fibrosis. As MIT Technology Review reports, the influx of capital “reflects a surge of interest in CRISPR,” a powerful gene cutting-and-pasting tool that’s poised to revolutionize medicine. Editas, founded by a number of gene-editing pioneers, can…

io9 George Dvorsky Aug 10

New Technique Allows Bioengineers To “Reprogram” Genetic Code

Scientists at Stanford University have found a way to program DNA in such a way that genes can be turned on or off in living cells. Incredibly, the new tool can affect two different genes at the same time, an advance that will allow scientists to treat even the most complex genetic disorders. There are…

io9 George Dvorsky Jan 28

New Study Finds Unintended Consequences of CRISPR Gene Editing

UK Ethics Council Says It’s ‘Morally Permissible’ to Create Genetically Modified Babies

Artificial Genome Scientists Want to Build Human Cells That Are Impervious to Viruses

New ‘Chemical Surgery’ Technique Repairs Mutations in Human Embryos

Scientists Are Making Horrible Red-Eye Mutant Wasps Because Why the Hell Not

The CRISPR Gene-Editing Tool is Finally Being Used on Humans

Monsanto Just Got Access to the World’s Most Powerful Gene-Editing Tool

Why Athletes Will Win the War Against Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Most Americans Fear a Future of Designer Babies and Brain Chips

Bio-Engineering Is a Lot Less Dystopian When It Looks Like an Acid Trip

CRISPR Just Got One Step Closer to Editing Human Genes With Ease

Why the US Government Says It Doesn’t Need to Regulate This Mutant Mushroom

Chinese Scientists Genetically Modify Human Embryos—Again

Gene-Editing Attacks Can’t Defeat HIV As Easily As We Thought

HIV Genes Successfully Edited Out of Immune Cells

Spy Chief Calls Gene Editing a Weapon of Mass Destruction

British Researchers Get Approval to Genetically Modify Human Embryos

Gene-Edited Dogs With Jacked-Up Muscles Are a World’s First

A Startup Just Raised $120 Million to Make Gene Editing Medications

New Technique Allows Bioengineers To “Reprogram” Genetic Code

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