CRISPR

Scientists have found a way to fight cancer with cancer, by genetically engineering cancer cells to release drugs at established tumor sites and stimulating the immune system. Tests in mice showed promise as both a therapy and preventative vaccine.

Researchers have resurrected ancient CRISPR proteins from millions and even billions of years ago. Not only can they still edit human cells, but they’re more versatile than modern versions, paving the way for new synthetic CRISPR gene-editing tools.

Breeding plants can give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

A teenager in the UK has become the first person to be treated with a revolutionary new gene editing therapy. The patient's incurable leukemia was effectively cleared using "base-edited" immune T-cells from a donor.

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.

In a new study described as "seminal" and "pioneering", researchers in the US have successfully used CRISPR gene-editing technology to create personalized cancer-targeting immune cells, paving the way for future customized cancer treatments.

Scientists have demonstrated a new potential way to edit the genomes of bacteria in complex environments, by equipping viruses to hunt them down and insert the CRISPR gene-editing system.

Colossal has plans to resurrect the mammoth, and now it's revealed the second species on its de-extinction list – Australia’s lost thylacine. Partnering with a University of Melbourne lab, the project could revive the creature in about a decade.

Scientists have demonstrated an intriguing new variation on the CRISPR gene-editing system, which involves fixing a mutation on one chromosome by copying a healthy version from the other. “Nicking” the DNA also seemed to work better than cutting it.

As important as CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing is, it has a relatively high error rate, which can introduce potentially harmful mutations. German researchers have now developed a more refined tool that reduces errors by nicking DNA instead of cutting it.

Incredible new data has revealed an experimental CRISPR gene editing therapy is both safe and effective up to three years after treatment. The results come from one of the longest running trials using CRISPR to treat a pair of rare blood diseases.

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a new gene-editing system they call CRISPR-Combo, which can edit multiple genes at once while also changing the expression of others in plants, to increase efficiency of genetic engineering.