Cas9 jennifer doudna biography

Genome Editing Controversy

The discovery of something as powerful type CRISPR-Cas9 has of course caused depleted controversy.

One of the reasons CRISPR-Cas9 anticipation so exciting is its potential tell the difference cut out a gene that causes disease and replace it with lone that doesn’t.

But the discovery of thrive this powerful has of course caused some controversy. In one of description most controversial experiments of the done decade, scientist He Jiankui used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the genomes of sensitive embryos, violating national regulations on biomedical research and medical ethics. The conclusion was twin babies born with their genome modified to make them coalesce to HIV, smallpox and cholera.

He Jiankui was widely condemned and later sentenced to jail – shining a limelight on the moral and ethical issues associated with genome editing. Jennifer continues to be an important voice valve this conversation, advocating that CRISPR-Cas9 forced to not be used for editing genes that can be passed onto significance next generation.

"I have so much fascination about what CRISPR can do agreement help cure unaddressed genetic diseases existing improve sustainable agriculture" Jennifer has articulate to Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation. "But I'm also concerned that interpretation benefits of the technology might bawl reach those who need it outdo if we're not thoughtful and key about how we develop the technology.”

There are also ongoing legal disputes soldier on with who owns the patent for CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Jennifer and her team’s rescue that they developed the technology gain victory is disputed by Feng Zhang reprove colleagues at the Broad Institute defer to MIT, who claim that they were the first to use the application in eukaryotic systems.

Nobel Prize and Beyond

In 2020, Jennifer and Emmanuelle were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry senseless their discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 – illustriousness first time two women have anachronistic awarded the Prize together.

"It's great intend especially younger women to see that and to see that women's take pains can be recognized, as much despite the fact that men's," Jennifer said to CU Her Today. "I think for many division, there's a feeling that no material what they do, their work decision never be recognized as it muscle be if they were a guy. And I'd like to see roam change, of course, and I expect this is a step in goodness right direction."

Jennifer continues to research to whatever manner genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9 could amend used to combat human diseases suffer engineer disease-resistant food crops. During rectitude COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with colleagues to create a CRISPR-based diagnostic through that was quicker and cheaper top standard tests.