On "Rewriting the Code of Life” and the Nobel Prize
Photo by corina ardeleanu
Last week, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier (Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin) and Jennifer A. Doudna (University of California, Berkeley) “for the development of a method for genome editing … a tool for rewriting the code of life”
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said “Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, it is now possible to change the code of life over the course of a few weeks.
"This tool has contributed to many important discoveries in basic research, and plant researchers have been able to develop crops that withstand mould, pests and drought. In medicine, clinical trials of new cancer therapies are underway, and the dream of being able to cure inherited diseases is about to come true.
"These genetic scissors have taken the life sciences into a new epoch and, in many ways, are bringing the greatest benefit to humankind."
Claes Gustafsson (Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry) said "It is of utmost importance that the technology is carefully regulated and used in responsible manner.
"The World Health Organization has recently established a global multi-disciplinary expert panel to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing.”
OUR TAKE
CRISPR research is driving significant advances across all life sciences (medicine, agriculture, farming, biotechnology, etc.).
Because modifying human genetic systems are more complex than those of plants, insects, food, etc. - human-related advances generally take more time.
As the World Health Organization focuses on challenges associated with human genome editing, there are scientific, ethical, social, and legal challenges to consider across all biological spheres.
Within the human realm, gene-editing innovations will likely 1) reshape medical/health care ecosystems, 2) change the definition of therapeutics and drugs and 3) lead to cost-effective products and services that are broadly available.
To learn more about CRISPR