Genetic engineering

Deeper and more robust root systems for common crops can mean more carbon is stored underground, rather than released into the atmosphere

Environment

Deep roots, edited genes and a plan to fight climate change with supercharged plants

Researchers at the Salk Institute are approaching gene-editing technology with some very big-picture thinking, looking to tweak the genes of humankind’s most commonly sown crops so they store more carbon dioxide underground as a way of fighting climate change

Engineering plants that can better absorb iron from alkaline soils could open up large swathes of currently unsuitable land for staple crops like corn

Biology

Engineering plants for better root microbiomes would unlock land for staple crops

A Stanford University team is developing plants that can better absorb iron from the soil. By making it easier to ingest the trace mineral, it may be possible to open up the roughly one-third of the world's arable land that is unsuitable for growing staples like maize and soybeans.

Using a novel combination of a new drug therapy and the CRISPR gene editing tool, scientists have eliminated HIV from the genomes of living animals for the first time

Medical

Scientists combine CRISPR and drug therapy to cure HIV infection in mice for the first time

A permanent cure for HIV has remained elusive. But scientists have now made a significant breakthrough in this area, using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool to entirely remove the virus from the genomes of living animals for the first time ever.

A fluorescent image of the cyanobacteria that the researchers extracted the new CRISPR system from

Medical

New CRISPR-based system inserts new DNA without cutting and pasting

The CRISPR gene-editing system is a powerful tool, but sometimes cutting and pasting can have unwanted side effects. Now researchers from MIT and Harvard have developed a new CRISPR-based system that can insert new DNA sequences without cutting, which should make the process safer and more accurate.

A large study of people with the same genetic mutation introduced by Chinese scientists He Jiankui (pictured) to two babies babies revealed higher rates of early death compared to individuals without that specific genetic mutation

Science

Chinese CRISPR gene-edited babies at risk of early death

A massive genome study by two scientists from UC Berkeley has found the CRISPR gene edit, administered by a Chinese scientist last year that led to the birth of two healthy babies, may be associated with a higher rate of early mortality in later life.

Etienne Bilgo, a co-author of the paper, observes one of the breeding pools in MosquitoSphere where researchers found that a simple application of transgenic fungus on a hanging black sheet safely reduced mosquito populations by more than 99 percent

Biology

Genetically modified fungus kills malaria-spreading mosquitos in landmark West African trial

A genetically modified fungus designed to safely reduce malaria-spreading mosquito populations has been successfully tested outside of laboratory conditions in a simulated village environment. The trial decimated the mosquito population in 45 days paving the way for more trials in open environments.

Three bacteriophages, or bacteria-eating viruses, were administered to the young patient suffering from a major antibiotic-resistant infection following lung transplant surgery

Medical

World-first human treatment of antibiotic-resistant infection with genetically modified virus

A new case study outlines the first use of a genetically modified virus to treat a life-threatening antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. The successful treatment paves the way for larger clinical trials to establish how effective this experimental process could be in wider patient populations.

Newly discovered anti-CRISPR molecules can quickly inhibit the activity of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing process

Medical

Anti-CRISPR molecules discovered that can block the gene editing technology

New work from the Broad Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital has presented a study that homes in on small molecules that may have the ability to safely block the CRISPR gene editing process.

The new hairpin lock – blue section at the top left – folds back on itself until it finds the target DNA sequence

Biology

CRISPR breakthrough uses "hairpin lock" for more precise genetic engineering

The CRISPR gene-editing system is incredibly accurate, but it’s not unusual for it to be a little bit off target sometimes. Now, biomedical engineers at Duke University have created an RNA “lock” that can apparently make the system far more precise, and it works with all kinds of CRISPR variations.

A new gene-editing enzyme called CRiSPR-Cas3 could function like a "DNA shredder"

Medical

A DNA "shredder" is the latest CRISPR gene-editing tool

CRISPR-Cas9 acts like a pair of molecular scissors and enables precise cut-and-paste DNA edits. But now, researchers have developed a new genetic tool that, they say, acts more like a motorized DNA “shredder.”

One of the four albino anoles, alongside a non-modified example

Science

World's first gene-edited lizards are in the pink

Although they're commonly known as brown anoles, there are now four Anolis sagrei lizards at a University of Georgia lab that are actually pink. They're the result of the world's first successful attempt at producing a genetically modified reptile. The research could have implications for humans.

Scientists have created the first computer-generated genome of a living organism

Biology

First computer-generated genome could lead to custom synthetic lifeforms

Scientists have created the first fully computer-generated genome of a living organism. Named Caulobacter ethensis-2.0, it was built by simplifying the natural code of Caulobacter crescentus. The team says this is a huge step towards creating completely synthetic life and medicinal DNA molecules.