Search Results for: ccr5

Weekly reads: Vertex & CRISPR Therapeutics, Arnold Caplan death, MS genetics

January 14, 2024 / By / 5 Comments
CRISPR Therapeutics

The biotechs Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics have an interesting relationship as biotechs. They are partners are multiple levels but also are very different as companies including in size. There’s been a key development in one of their partnerships. Before we jump into that, please check out the video version of my 20 stem cell and …

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New research on CRISPR gene-editing in stem cells, infographic

June 7, 2022 / By / Leave a Comment
CRISPR-infographic-stem-cells_small

As a pivotal advance in the gene-editing field and timeline, CRISPR continues to be utilized for research on stem cells and human diseases. Today, I will explain some of the most notable recent findings in the stem cell-CRISPR field. To start things off, I have also created an infographic that briefly explains what CRISPR-Cas9 is, …

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CRISPR often damages human embryo chromosomes

February 1, 2021 / By / 3 Comments
human-embryo-modification

Three new studies reported in preprints all show severe DNA damage to human embryos from CRISPR a surprisingly high percentage of the time including in some cases loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Anywhere from about a quarter to half of CRISPR’d embryos exhibited major genome damage. As readers of The Niche know, I never was a …

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Heads up on Hui Yang, another potential aspiring CRISPR baby researcher

February 1, 2021 / By / 1 Comment
-Yui-Hang

Making a CRISPR baby is a controversial idea to even propose now for many reasons, yet even after He Jiankui’s train wreck some people have seemed eager to try it including apparently a scientist whose name perhaps many readers here are not so familiar with in this context: Professor Hui Yang. ‘CRISPR baby guys’ Is …

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Perspectives on CRISPR baby guy He Jiankui (贺建奎) going to jail

February 1, 2021 / By / 2 Comments
Jiankui-He-who-claims-CRISPR-baby-production

Scientist He Jiankui(贺建奎) has been sentenced to 3 years in prison by Chinese authorities. Two collaborators also will go to jail. A piece in Science by Dennis Normile on the sentencing of He Jiankui ID’d the other two: “His collaborators were identified as Zhang Renli, of a medical institution in Guangdong province, and Qin Jinzhou, from a Shenzhen …

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Calling Out Denis Rebrikov CRISPR Babies Plan

February 1, 2021 / By / 1 Comment
Denis-Rebrikov-1

A Russian Scientist named Denis Rebrikov told Nature and then other media including NPR last week that he plans to make CRISPR babies. In other words, babies with heritable genetic modifications. I don’t doubt that Rebrikov (pictured in ResearchGate image) might want to do this nor that he might try it, but rather I’m writing …

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Who is He Jiankui’s mentor Michael Deem & is he trying to edit himself out of CRISPR baby project?

February 1, 2021 / By / Leave a Comment
Michael-Deem

Who is Michael Deem and what was his role in his former student He Jiankui’s purported production of twin CRISPR’d babies? Is Deem now trying to edit himself out of the project? He Jiankui relied on help from many people and Deem was reportedly a part of that team. Members of He’s own research team helped …

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Context for my Nature piece on redefining “gene edit” to be more precise

February 1, 2021 / By / 1 Comment
CRISPR-gene-edit-vs-mutation-1

When I say “gene edit” or “genome editing”, what’s the first thing that pops in your mind? It will depend on who you are. For many lay people until a few weeks ago when the world heard about He Jiankui‘s claim of CRISPR’d babies they may not have had anything pop in their heads when …

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History tells us to be more skeptical of He Jiankui’s CRISPR baby story

February 1, 2021 / By / 2 Comments
Fake-cloning

Could He Jiankui have faked part or all of his CRISPR babies story? If so, how? Why? Or to put it another way, almost everyone seems to be assuming the story is real, but should we be more skeptical? Should we flip things around and assume the story isn’t entirely kosher until proven otherwise? I once …

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He Jiankui didn’t really gene edit those girls; he mutated them

February 1, 2021 / By / 10 Comments
CRISPR-gene-edit-vs-mutation-1

Did Chinese researcher He Jiankui really CRISPR gene edit the CCR5 gene in two embryos producing twin baby girls? In my opinion the answer is “no”, but probably not for the reason you might think at first. He proclaims gene edits He claimed he had made twin baby girls with “gene edits”, which I feel is unethical …

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