A decade ago I wrote an article in the journal Nature Biotechnology about the rise of a new gene editing technology called zinc finger nucleases (ZNF). It was one of those “drumbeat” discoveries: at the time, my sense was it would revolutionize how we deliver genes to cells and tissues, and profoundly change the way […]
Guest Post by Chris Scott–The Great CRISPR Controversy: What’s Next? Read More »
Last Thursday I participated in a meeting at Stanford Law School on human germline genetic modification hosted by Hank Greely (pictured at left), Professor of Law and Genetics at Stanford. The meeting was entitled, “Human Germline Modification: Medicine, Science, Ethics, and Law”. The panel included in addition to Hank and me, the following speakers: Marcy Darnovsky, Executive Director of
Stanford Human Germline Modification Meeting: Medicine, Science, Ethics, & Law Read More »
With more than 250 votes cast, Jennifer Doudna is leading by a decisive margin in a poll asking who deserves the patent for use of CRISPR-Cas9 as a tool. Feng Zhang got only just over half the votes of Doudna. Another take home message from this poll is that a sizable minority–almost one in five– said
Doudna most deserving of CRISPR Cas9 patent, says poll Read More »
A lot has happened in the week since the first human embryo genetic modification paper was published by a team led by Junjiu Huang. There have been a number of new events just in the last few days. Jocelyn Kaiser over at SCIENCEINSIDER has a new piece reporting a couple important developments including that the journal
News bites & rumors on human embryo genetic modification Read More »
‘Roundup Ready’ Humans? What the heck does that mean? One of my favorite parts of doing a blog is getting reader comments. It definitely makes the blogging experience more fun and keeps me on my toes. I also learn a lot. The more discussion there is, the better. One of the most frequent commenters is
‘Roundup Ready’ Humans? Read More »
There is no hotter technology than CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tools. Perhaps it is not surprising then that there is a patent dispute over it, which falls into two camps: (1) Jennifer Doudna & Emmanuelle Charpentier, and (2) Feng Zhang. Who deserves the intellectual property for use of CRISPR-Cas9 in human cells? Take our poll.
Who deserves patent for CRISPR-Cas9 in human cells? Take our poll Read More »
CRISPR Cas9 is a relatively new, powerful approach to gene editing and genetic modification more generally. In the relatively short window of time in which this technology has been widely available for gene editing applications it has already evolved rapidly to become more powerful. Here are some new papers of interest on this technology. With
5 new cool papers on CRISPR Cas9 gene editing Read More »
It seems like Fridays are always a good time for reflection. It’s not like the scientist’s week ends on Friday sad to say, but still at least we can pause momentarily TGIF style and reflect on the maelstrom that is our lives, while cracking open another diet Coke or pouring another cup of coffee. This
TGIF: Stem Cell Stream of Consciousness Including CRISPR Read More »
CRISPR Cas9 gene editing technology is a game changer on many levels both inside and soon outside the lab. There is a growing sense of urgency amongst biomedical scientists to take a proactive approach to current and future use of CRISPR gene editing technology in human germ cells and embryos. These concerns have been heightened
Practical Plan for Managing Human Germline CRISPR Read More »
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) just now released a new policy statement on human germline gene editing. The statement calls for a ban on clinical application of human germline gene editing technology. Here is the brief summary statement at the beginning: The International Society for Stem Cell Research calls for a moratorium on