geneediting

In a small initial test in people, researchers have shown that a single infusion of a novel gene-editing treatment can reduce cholesterol, the fatty substance that clogs and hardens arteries over time.The experiment was carried out in 10 participants with an inherited condition that causes extremely high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart attack at an early age. Despite being on cholesterol-lowering medications, the volunteers were already suffering from heart disease. They joined a trial in New…

CRISPR-Cas9 has been the household name of genetic engineering tools over the past decade, but there might be other, better ways. MIT scientists have now demonstrated an alternative called Fanzor, which is naturally found in animals so could be a better fit for human use.The CRISPR gene-editing system was originally isolated from bacteria, which use an enzyme called Cas9 to snip out a section of a virus’s DNA and store it for later, to help them fight off that infection in the future. In 2012, scientists made the Nobel…

In 2008, a fruit fly known as the spotted-wing drosophila made its way from Southeast Asia to the continental US, likely hitching a ride on fruit shipments. First detected in California raspberry fields, the insect rapidly spread to other states.Unlike the common fruit fly, which is attracted to rotting food, spotted-wing drosophila prefers ripening, healthy fruit. Using a serrated, tubelike organ, the females slice through fruit skin and deposit their eggs inside. When the eggs hatch, the emerging larvae destroy the…

MIT researchers have developed a fast and precise technique using CRISPR genome-editing technology to engineer specific cancer-related mutations in mouse models, a step that could significantly advance drug development and understanding of tumor development. p53 (blue) binds to DNA (pink) to help prevent cancer formation.With the new method, scientists can explore many cancer mutations whose roles are unknown, helping them develop new drugs that target those mutations.<span class="glossaryLink"…

Overripe bananas could soon become a mere memory — in the Philippines, at least. Tropic Biosciences, a startup in the UK, has tapped gene editing to banish the browning fruit — and mitigate the havoc that it’s wreaking. Currently, over 60% of exported bananas go to waste before reaching consumers. According to Tropic, the non-browning version could cut food waste and CO2 emissions in supply chains by over 25%.  In terms of CO2 reduction, the impact is comparable to taking 2m passenger vehicles…

Developing effective treatments for genetic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis has proven challenging. That might not be the case for much longer, with scientists developing a new type of nanoparticle that can carry gene-editing technology directly into the lungs of mice.With the mapping of the human genome and subsequent genome-wide association studies linking defined genetic mutations with known diseases, the focus of much research has been on developing gene therapies to target the genetic causes of…

After decades of living with often excruciating pain, Victoria Gray had to get used to a new sensation in recent years: waking up without it. “It may sound crazy, but I had to pinch myself to see was I still able to feel pain,” she says. Gray, a 37-year-old mother of four from Forest, Mississippi, who was born with sickle cell disease, arguably became the star of last week’s International Summit on Human Genome Editing in London when she spoke about her…

Scientists claim they have created mice with two fathers in a breakthrough that could someday be replicated in humans.Katsuhiko Hayashi from Osaka University told the Human Genome Editing conference on Wednesday that he achieved the breakthrough after changing the chromosomes in a male cell from XY to XX.He then used that technique to make female eggs, called oocytes, from male cells and fertilized them to create seven mice with two biological dads.The discovery has yet to be validated by a review of scientific peers and…

A group of researchers managed to do something intriguing and revolutionary. According to a new study published in Nature Microbiology, international researchers have managed to revive ancient CRISPR ancestors that date back as far as 2.6 billion years ago. These ancestors, they say, contain working systems that could have revolutionary applications. Gene editing has taken a massive swing in recent years, with tons of advanced being made over the past couple of years alone. From trying to create hypoallergenic…

A new technique has been added to the CRISPR gene-editing toolbox. Known as PASTE, the system uses virus enzymes to “drag-and-drop” large sections of DNA into a genome, which could help treat a range of genetic diseases.The CRISPR system originated in bacteria, which used it as a defense mechanism against viruses that prey on them. Essentially, if a bacterium survived a viral infection, it would use CRISPR enzymes to snip out a small segment of the virus DNA, and use that to remind itself how to fight off future…