Monday, June 30, 2014

CRISPR: a new Genetic Tool for Gene Repair

Scientists from many areas of biology are flocking to a technique that allows them to work inside cells, making changes in specific genes far faster — and for far less money — than ever before.

"It's really powerful, it's a really exciting development," says of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He won the in 2006 for that also lets scientists modify how genes work. But, Mello says, this new genetic tool – known as CRISPR for — is more powerful, "because now you can essentially change a genome at will to almost anything you want. The sky's the limit."

Sure, scientists previously have made enormous strides in their ability to do things with genes: modifying them, moving them from cell to cell, even animal to animal.

But doing these things has been time consuming and expensive. It looks like CRISPR will change all that.

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