Genetic engineering
-
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.
-
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.
-
Vitamin D deficiency is a growing health issue, but very few foods are rich in the nutrient. To help combat the problem, scientists have now used CRISPR gene editing to fortify tomatoes with vitamin D.
-
The biology behind social behavior may be more complex than we thought. Researchers have used CRISPR to block a certain neurochemical signaling pathway in hamsters, and found that the animals’ social behaviors changed in unexpected ways.
-
Future astronauts could eat salads containing genetically engineered lettuce to get their dose of a drug designed to ward off the effects of weightlessness on bone loss.
-
CRISPR gene-editing is a powerful tool, but unfortunately it can edit the wrong DNA sequences. Now, researchers have identified a previously unknown structure of the protein that drives these mistakes, and tweaked it to reduce off-target mutations.
-
Although genetically modified crops have some advantages over their regular counterparts, creating the modified plants can be quite challenging. Scientists have now developed a simpler approach, in which normal plants are altered with a crop spray.
-
Ammonia is commonly used in commercial crop fertilizers, which in turn can pollute waterways when they run off of fields. New research, however, suggests that engineered bacteria could one day take the place of such fertilizers.
-
In a historic procedure surgeons have, for the first time, transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into a living human. The patient is still alive, has not rejected the organ and is being monitored at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
-
Scientists have used the CRISPR gene-editing system to produce litters of mice that are 100 percent either male or female. The technique could help prevent the unnecessary culling of animals of unwanted sex in agriculture or scientific experiments.
-
Scientists have successfully used CRISPR and phages to edit the genome of bacteria in the gut microbiome of live mice for the first time. The breakthrough could help manipulate the ratio between different species to treat a range of health problems.
Load More