Human Gene Editing
Free access to CRISPR gene editing? This startup wants to make it possible
CRISPR gene editing is widely regarded as one of the most significant advances in the life sciences in decades. The technology, ...
Italian family’s inability to feel pain spurs research on relief for chronic sufferers
The six members of the family barely notice broken bones or severe burns. Researchers have identified the mutation behind their ...
Hemophilia A gene therapy trial results: ‘This is huge’
British doctors say they have achieved "mind-blowing" results in an attempt to rid people of haemophilia A. Patients are born ...
Cancer treatment without chemotherapy? CAR T-cells could become the new standard
Although rare, it is not unheard-of for new treatments to achieve substantial early successes in one or two patients only ...
2017: The year gene therapy became a ‘clinical reality’
This year, gene therapy finally became a clinical reality. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two personalized treatments that ...
Can CRISPR really save lives? People with beta thalassemia blood disease likely first human trial subjects
For those who have no idea what CRISPR is all about, the abbreviation means “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.” ...
How plants learn and use memories for prediction and decision-making
[Editor's note: Laura Ruggles is a philosophy PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide in Australia.] The idea that plants can ...
To protect vineyards from pests and reduce pesticide use, CRISPR could be the answer
The powdery mildew fungus decimates vineyards around the globe. As pesticides become less effective, some scientists are turning to gene ...
CRISPR 2.0: Targeting incurable diseases by ‘turning up volume’ on good genes
Incurable diseases such as diabetes and muscular dystrophy could be treated in future using a new form of genetic engineering ...
Scientists sound alarm over DIY gene therapy, calling it ‘unsafe’
In just the past few months we’ve seen not one, but two examples of people pursuing unregulated gene therapy. … [T]he largest organization of ...
Gene therapy, CRISPR could provide treatments for sickle-cell, but cures far off
More than 50 years after the cause of sickle-cell disease was discovered, a dozen treatments for the painful and life-shortening inherited ...
Video: Entomologist Fred Gould critiques media coverage critical of gene drives
[At his talk on "Gene Drives in the News" at the National Academy of Sciences' Science of Science Communication III” Sackler ...
Transplanting stem cells directly into brain could alter treatment of nervous system disorders
A therapeutic technique to transplant blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells directly into the brain could herald a revolution in our approach ...
CRISPR used to make bigger tomatoes without editing genes
Global crop yields are increasingly vulnerable to changing climate and air quality. To combat future environmental threats and increased population ...
Video: Explaining CRISPR gene editing with a toy train
When people refer to Crispr, they're probably talking about Crispr-Cas9, a complex of enzymes and genetic guides that together finds ...
Gene therapy challenge: How much should it cost and how do we pay for it?
When evaluating the high prices of one-time gene therapy treatments, should we look to the costs of organ transplants when ...
Fighting infectious diseases with immunotherapy on ‘cusp of commercialization’
Immunotherapy, which involves adapting immune cells to destroy specific cellular targets, has made a name for itself treating cancer. But ...
Gene therapy could be ‘ideal cure’ for hemophilia B
[L]ast year, [Jay] Konduros enrolled in a clinical trial, receiving an experimental gene therapy at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [to ...
CRISPR gene-editing technology expected to accelerate crop development
Genetically modified crops are continuing to spread across the world’s agricultural land. Last year they covered a record 185m hectares, ...
Why all identical twins who are overweight are not identically obese
Identical twins have the same genomes, but they don't always look exactly the same, particularly in regards to weight. Science ...
Skin color and ‘race’: Genetics reveal complicated relationship
For much of recorded history, skin color has been loaded with powerful social meaning. Skin color plays a major part ...
Should organic farming embrace new plant breeding techniques like CRISPR?
Over the last few years, new tools have rapidly created possibilities in plant breeding. These New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) ...
DIY gene therapy? FDA is not a fan
A few biohackers (fans of do-it-yourself (DIY) science experiments) recently designed a gene therapy for HIV. Not only that, they posted a video ...
Exorbitant costs of gene therapy raise payment concerns for patients and government
[Editor's note: Executives from several companies developing gene therapies gathered for a panel discussion at the recent Forbes Healthcare Summit, ...
Cuddling may change your baby’s epigenome, improve their immune system over the long term
The amount of close and comforting contact that young infants get doesn't just keep them warm, snug, and loved. A ...
Podcast: Who should have access to gene-editing tools?
Scientists and researchers from major labs are putting their minds and grant dollars into gene editing tools like CRISPR, which ...
Genetic engineering, synthetic biology poised to boost photosynthesis and carbon capture
In a feature article published in the open access journal eLife, an international team of experts led by Dr Bonnie Wintle ...