Genetics

The CRISPR gene-editing system is built on a bacterial defense mechanism that allows scientists to make precise edits to DNA. Now scientists at MIT have discovered a new class of enzymes called OMEGAs that perform a similar function, perhaps better.

A new company called Colossal plans to revive the woolly mammoth and reintroduce the species to the Arctic. And it isn’t meant to be just a tourist-trap Jurassic Park either – the aim is to restore a long-lost ecosystem to help fight climate change.

Sharing information is crucial for species to survive, but how do simple lifeforms like worms spread the word? New research has found that roundworms can transfer “memories” to their neighbors, and pass them down to their offspring for generations.

A landmark study has identified a novel genetic variant associated with severe cases of endometriosis. The gene is known to play a role in several inflammatory diseases and the findings direct researchers toward new non-hormonal drug treatments.

Data from the United States’ first CRISPR clinical trial indicates the treatment is safe and effective two years after initial dosing. Targeting a pair of rare blood diseases, the therapy has so far been 100 percent effective in all 22 patients treated.

Sugarcane is a key food crop, but its large environmental impact leaves plenty of room for improvement. Unfortunately it’s tricky and time-consuming to breed new varieties, but now researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing to do so more easily.

Researchers have found the earliest known strain of the plague-causing Yersinia pestis bacteria, through genetic analysis of teeth and bone from a hunter-gatherer who was buried in present-day Latvia 5,000 years ago.

New clinical data shows that CRISPR gene editing can be done safely and effectively inside the body. CRISPR was injected into the bloodstream of patients with a genetic disease, with better outcomes than current treatments and no side effects.

Researchers have catalogued 178 gene variants associated with major depression in one of the biggest genome-wide association studies ever conducted. The study encompassed several million people in the hope of developing a genetic test to detect those most at risk.

With psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy on the cusp of broad clinical approval, millions of people may soon experience these hallucinogenic drugs for the first time. Can a genetic test help predict how individuals will respond to psychedelics?

The most detailed genomic study ever conducted of individuals over the age of 100 years has homed in on several genetic traits that may protect from age-related disease. Gene variants improving DNA repair processes were particularly prominent.

Scientists at Harvard have demonstrated an alternative to CRISPR – a genetic engineering system called Retron Library Recombineering (RLR) that works without cutting DNA and can be quickly applied to huge populations of cells.