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How CRISPR gene-editing technology could change the way we eat
A precise gene-editing technology can make crops tastier, more nutritious, and more resilient to climate change. But can it avoid the “GMO curse”? Could genetically modified and genetically engineered crops be the key to feeding a growing global population in the face of climate change? Changes to plant DNA can…
CRISPR tackles deadly cassava mosaic virus disease
Work has begun to possibly develop CRISPR cassava varieties that are resistant to the deadly cassava mosaic disease (CMD), after an international team of research scientists managed to identify a gene responsible for the resistance. The team, led by Wilhelm Gruissem, a professor of…
CRISPR scientist Echo Pan delivering a new type of gut punch
Scientist Echo Pan is using the tools of CRISPR-Cas to deliver a gut punch that heals, rather than harms. Pan, a Ph.D. candidate and Rockey Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) Fellow at North Carolina State University, hopes that her research will aid the development of highly customized…
Meet a CRISPR crop scientist on World CRISPR Day
Happy World CRISPR Day! Meet Nicholas Karavolias, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley in the Plant and Microbial Biology Department. He works at the Innovative Genomics Institute where he uses CRISPR/Cas in his research. What excites you about CRISPR? So many things! I think…
New research suggests CRISPR can destroy virus that causes COVID-19
Scientists have discovered a way to stop the COVID-19 virus from replicating in infected human cells, marking major progress towards a definitive treatment for the deadly illness and accentuating the potential of genetic engineering to cure viral diseases. The study explores the use of CRISPR, a genome editing tool,…
Europe is reviewing its stance on CRISPR crops
The European Commission has released a study that could ease restrictions on gene editing and other new plant breeding technologies. The 117-page study on new genomic techniques (NGT) finds that these tools have the potential to support agricultural sustainability and are compatible with the European Green Deal and the …
CRISPR may help curb malaria by altering a mosquito’s gut genes, new study suggests
Altering a mosquito’s gut genes to make them spread antimalarial genes to the next generation of their species shows promise as an approach to curb malaria, suggests a preliminary study published today in eLife. The study is the latest in a series of steps toward using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to make…
CRISPR offers hope for controlling African swine fever
New vaccine trials hold great promise in the management of an East African strain of African swine fever (ASF), one of the most devastating diseases to afflict pigs. Scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are employing CRISPR Cas9 editing and synthetic biology to modify the ASFV genome in…
Can CRISPR tame avian flu and prevent the next pandemic?
Now that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is picking up steam, it’s tempting to hope that the world can soon move past the horrific human and economic tolls of the coronavirus pandemic and return to “normal.” Unfortunately, as scientists and even comedians have warned, our “normal” way of…