New Atlas

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How stem cells, CRISPR and skin grafts could help combat cocaine addiction

Michael Irving September 17, 2018

A novel form of treatment could help cut back on a person’s desire for cocaine and reduce its damaging effect in the body. The method involves removing a small patch of skin, introducing genes that produce cocaine-degrading enzymes, and then grafting it back onto the patient.

A new potential treatment for cocaine addiction involves skin grafts, stem cells and gene-editing

Biology

GMO poplar trees engineered to not escape into the wild

Michael Irving August 6, 2018

Containment measures are in development to keep GMOs from escaping and potentially disrupting natural ecosystems. To that end, researchers have now conducted a multi-year study using GMO poplar trees and found that engineering them to be sexually sterile is an effective containment measure.

A multi-year study has shown that poplar trees can be genetically-modified to be sterile, meaning the ...

Medical

Move over Cas9, there's a new and more accurate CRISPR gene editing enzyme in town

Rich Haridy August 5, 2018

Things are heating up in the world of CRISPR gene editing. Following a series of controversial studies suggesting the process is not as safe or accurate as previously thought, a team of scientists claims a simple enzyme change could help increase the precision and safety of the process.

The Cas12a enzyme is claimed to be safer and more accurate than the traditionally used Cas9 ...

Biology

EU court controversially rules gene-edited crops are subject to tough GMO laws

Rich Haridy July 25, 2018

The European Union has just ruled that gene-edited plants and crops are subject to the same tough regulations as genetically modified organisms. The ruling stands apart from a recent US government statement claiming gene-edited plants are notably different from more comprehensively altered GMOs.

A divisive new EU court ruling is placing unprecedented regulations on genetically edited plants and crops

Science

Controversial study raises new doubts over unwanted genetic damage caused by CRISPR

Rich Haridy July 16, 2018

A new research paper has again raised doubts over the safety and accuracy of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique. The study suggests that the gene editing process can cause extensive unforeseen and unpredictable alterations to DNA sequences outside of the intended targets.

A study is raising new doubts over the accuracy of the CRISPR-Car9 gene editing technique

Medical

Researchers discover why the CRISPR gene editing system sometimes fails

Rich Haridy July 11, 2018

The CRISPR gene editing revolution is less than a decade old and scientists are still learning how best to deploy this ground-breaking technique. A team has recently discovered why the technique sometimes fails, uncovering a novel insight that will hopefully make future research more efficient.

CRISPR is known to fail about 15 percent of the time and a new study has ...

Medical

Bacteria engineered to treat constipation

Ben Coxworth June 14, 2018

When it comes to treatments for constipation, the options aren't plentiful, nor are they always particularly effective. Help may be on the way, however, in the form of genetically-engineered bacteria.

Scientists have engineered bacteria to produce a chemical called tryptamine

Medical

Major research reveals CRISPR gene-editing could increase cancer risk in cells

Rich Haridy June 11, 2018

Two new studies are raising concerns that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system could trigger an increased cancer risk in cells. With human trials using the technique starting this year, the scientists behind these new studies urge researchers to be aware of this cancer-driving mechanism.

New research suggests that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique could increase the risk of cancer in ...

Medical

Move over, CRISPR: MAGESTIC makes for gentler gene-editing

Michael Irving May 10, 2018

Allowing scientists to make cut-and-paste edits to an organism’s genome, the CRISPR gene-editing tool may be powerful, but it’s still a bit clumsy. Now, researchers have developed a neater new version dubbed MAGESTIC, which they describe as swapping the scissors for a word processor.

MAGESTIC is a new gene-editing technology, which is claimed to be more like a word processor ...

Biology

CRISPR study reduces cholesterol in mice without "editing" DNA

Michael Irving April 29, 2018

A team from Duke University has used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to switch off certain genes in mice to reduce cholesterol levels, marking the first time CRISPR has been used to silence genes – without making edits – in adult animals.

Researchers at Duke University have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to silence genes in adult mice, instead ...