New, reversible CRISPR method can control gene expression while leaving underlying DNA sequence unchanged

13-Apr-2021

Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organisms' DNA. While the system could potentially be useful in treating a variety of diseases, CRISPR-Cas9 editing involves cutting DNA strands, ...

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Until now, creating multiple mutations was a much more complex process

23-Mar-2021

Using an improved version of the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers knocked out up to twelve genes in plants in a single blow. Until now, this had only been possible for single or small groups of genes. The approach was developed by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ...

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25-Feb-2021

The ability to turn a gene off only in a specific cell type is essential to modern life science. Thanks to the Cre-Controlled CRISPR it has just became simpler. The new method developed by researchers from the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at TU Dresden with support from the ...

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How the membrane protein CD20 keeps the immune system’s antibody-producing cells in check

12-Feb-2021

Rituximab, an anti-cancer drug targeting the membrane protein CD20, was the first approved therapeutic antibody against B tumor cells. Immunologists at the University of Freiburg have now solved a mystery about how it works. A team headed by Professor Dr. Michael Reth used cell cultures, healthy ...

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An initial step toward a test to pinpoint athletes trying to gain an unfair advantage

11-Jan-2021

All athletes want to be at the top of their game when they compete, but some resort to nefarious approaches to achieve peak muscle growth, speed and agility. Recent developments in gene editing technology could tempt athletes to change their DNA to get an edge. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' ...

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A live vaccine for toxoplasmosis

04-Jan-2021

Modified CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing scissors are enabling researchers at UZH to make alterations to the genetic material of single-cell organisms that are indistinguishable from natural mutations. This method is making it possible to develop a (harmless) experimental live vaccine for the widespread ...

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Unusual structures in bacterial cells keep viral infection from spreading

09-Nov-2020

Peculiar hybrid structures called retrons that are half RNA, half single-strand DNA are found in many species of bacteria. Since their discovery around 35 years ago, researchers have learned how to use retrons for producing single strands of DNA in the lab, but no one knew what their function was ...

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Once approved, new test will help laboratories increase testing capacity and decrease turnaround time for results

02-Nov-2020

Merck announced a collaboration with Mammoth Biosciences Inc., of South San Francisco, California, USA, for the development, scale-up and commercial production of Mammoth’s CRISPR-based SARS CoV-2 diagnostic test. Mammoth’s high-throughput systems will be compatible with both nasal swab and ...

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Genetic scissors: a tool for rewriting the code of life

07-Oct-2020

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has had a revolutionary impact ...

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For the First Time, Researchers Use CRISPR/Cas Molecular Scissors to Recombine Genes on a Chromosome

08-Sep-2020

A new application of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors promises major progress in crop cultivation. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers from the team of molecular biologist Holger Puchta have succeeded in modifying the sequence of genes on a chromosome using CRISPR/Cas. For ...

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