The Many Uses of CRISPR: The Scientists Say It All
Smartphones, superglue, electric cars, video chat. When does the wonder of new technology fade? When you get so used to his presence that you don't think about it anymore? When something new and better is coming? When you forget how things used to be?
Whatever the answer, CRISPR gene-editing technology hasn't reached that point yet. Ten years after Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier first presented their discovery of CRISPR, it has remained at the center of ambitious scientific projects and complicated ethical discussions. He continues to create new avenues of exploration and reinvigorate old studies. Biochemists use it, and other scientists too: entomologists, cardiologists, oncologists, zoologists, botanists.
For these researchers, part of the wonder is still the. But the excitement of total newness has been replaced by open possibilities and ongoing projects. Here are a few.
Botany
The Queen of the TomatoImage
Dr. Martin in her office at the John Innes Center.Credit...Elizabeth Dalziel for The New York TimesCathie Martin, botanist at the John Innes Center in Norwich, England, and Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men superhero team: they both love mutants.
But while Professor X has an affinity for super-powered human mutants, the Dr. Martin loves the red and juicy type. "We've always wanted mutants because it's allowed us to understand functionality," Dr. Martin said of his research, which focuses on plant genomes in hopes of finding ways to make food – especially tomatoes in his case – healthier, sturdier and longer lasting. sustainable.
When CRISPR-Cas9 arrived...
Smartphones, superglue, electric cars, video chat. When does the wonder of new technology fade? When you get so used to his presence that you don't think about it anymore? When something new and better is coming? When you forget how things used to be?
Whatever the answer, CRISPR gene-editing technology hasn't reached that point yet. Ten years after Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier first presented their discovery of CRISPR, it has remained at the center of ambitious scientific projects and complicated ethical discussions. He continues to create new avenues of exploration and reinvigorate old studies. Biochemists use it, and other scientists too: entomologists, cardiologists, oncologists, zoologists, botanists.
For these researchers, part of the wonder is still the. But the excitement of total newness has been replaced by open possibilities and ongoing projects. Here are a few.
Botany
The Queen of the TomatoImageDr. Martin in her office at the John Innes Center.Credit...Elizabeth Dalziel for The New York TimesCathie Martin, botanist at the John Innes Center in Norwich, England, and Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men superhero team: they both love mutants.
But while Professor X has an affinity for super-powered human mutants, the Dr. Martin loves the red and juicy type. "We've always wanted mutants because it's allowed us to understand functionality," Dr. Martin said of his research, which focuses on plant genomes in hopes of finding ways to make food – especially tomatoes in his case – healthier, sturdier and longer lasting. sustainable.
When CRISPR-Cas9 arrived...
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