| Tittel: | Genetic scissors: at the cutting-edge of life | | Ansvar: | James Nurton | | Forfatter: | Nurton, James  | | Materialtype: | Artikkel - elektronisk | | Signatur: | WIPO Magazine | | Utgitt: | Geneva : WIPO, 2020 | | Omfang: | S. 18-23 | | ISBN/ISSN: | 1564-7854 | | Serie: | WIPO Magazine ; 4/2020 | | Innhold: | On October 7, 2020, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, Director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany, and Professor Jennifer A. Doudna, of the University of California, Berkeley, USA, “for a method of genome editing”. Their discovery of the CRISPRCas9 “genetic scissors” is one of the most important scientific developments so far this century. It has the ability to transform agriculture and medicine, and even cure inherited conditions such as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis and certain types of cancer. But, as the researchers themselves have recognized, it also raises complex ethical, patent and policy issues, which are only just beginning to be explored.
The collaboration between Professor Charpentier and Professor Doudna brought together their expertise in pathogenic bacteria and RNA interference, respectively. It began in 2011 and was, according to Professor Charpentier, “short and intense”, but its impact will be felt for many years. Their key achievement was identifying that CRISPR, a natural defense mechanism found in the DNA of bacteria, and Cas9, an enzyme, could be programmed to cut a DNA molecule at any point.
As Professor Claes Gustafsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, explained in a paper published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, “the development of this technology has enabled scientists to modify DNA sequences in a wide range of cells and organisms. Genomic manipulations are no longer an experimental bottleneck. Today, CRISPR-Cas9 technology is used widely in basic science, biotechnology and in the development of future therapeutics.” | | Del av verk: | WIPO Magazine 4/2020 |
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