CRISPR

A new proof-of-concept study suggests CRISPR gene therapy may be a promising alternative to opioids for chronic pain. The preliminary investigation demonstrated lowered pain sensitivity in mice after temporarily repressing activity of a specific gene.

One of the most promising emerging cancer therapies is CAR T cell immunotherapy, where a patient’s own immune cells are supercharged to fight tumors. Now researchers have found a way to refresh exhausted immune cells and get them back into battle.

A rapid COVID-19 test promises accurate results in under 30 minutes using a simple hand-held device, a nasal swab and a smartphone camera. The technology can also be modified to detect other viral diseases.

Getting CRISPR into cells can be challenging. Now Australian researchers have packaged the tool inside porous materials called metal organic frameworks (MOFs) coated in a green tea compound, and used it to silence key genes in prostate cancer cells.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to the two scientists who discovered and refined the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool. This allows for relatively simple editing of genes and could revolutionize medicine, agriculture and other fields.

In a wonderful case of blending an ancient therapy with modern tech, scientists gene edited the Leishmania major parasite to limit its infectivity. This allows the parasite to be given to patients in a vaccine, creating immunity without causing disease.

In a breakthrough that promises to revolutionize the precision breeding of animals, scientists have used the CRISPR gene editing tool to produce infertile animals that become "surrogate sires" and produce sperm containing only donor animal DNA

By tweaking the CRISPR gene-editing technique to target RNA instead of DNA, researchers have been able to destroy toxic accumulations of this molecule, which could pave the way for new treatments for muscular dystrophy and related conditions.

Researchers have, for the first time, successfully gene edited a cephalopod. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the research breakthrough will now allow scientists to conduct novel investigations into medical, robotic, and materials innovations.

In April 2020, a bull calf named Cosmo was born to a team of scientists. This probably wouldn’t normally be news except that this particular bouncing baby boy had his genome edited as an embryo, to make him more likely to produce male offspring.

The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system is an extremely powerful tool, but off-target edits can have serious consequences. Now, researchers have found a mutation of the CRISPR enzyme that’s almost 100 times more precise than the most commonly used one.

Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics presented new data from one of the first trials testing gene-editing therapy in human subjects. Fifteen months on from first patient treatment, the therapy is showing remarkable efficacy treating two rare blood diseases.