The two are Emmanuel Charpentier and Jennifer Daunda, who won this year's Wolf Prize for Medicine * The discovery is eight years old, but it has already been enough to completely change the science of genetics, from plants to the treatment of human genetic diseases
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to two women scientists for cracking gene editing methods:
Emmanuel Charpentier (emmanuelle charpentier), a French biochemist, who serves as the head of the Max Planck Institute for Pathogens in Berlin. Winner of the 2020 Wolf Prize for Medicine for "Deciphering and redirecting the CRISPR/Cas9 bacterial immune system to edit the genome";
Jennifer Doudna (Jennifer Doudna), an American biochemist, who serves as a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Her outstanding research deals with the field of CRISPR and ncRNA. Winner of the 2020 Wolf Prize for Medicine for "revealing the mechanism expected to revolutionize the world of medicine, of bacterial immunity through RNA-guided editing of the genome".
The award was given for the development of the genetic scissors called CRISPR/Cas9 that identify the DNA of viruses. The two researchers proved that with this tool it is possible to control the cutting of the DNA sequence at a predetermined location.
Genetic scissors: a tool for rewriting the code of life
Emmanuel Charpentier and Jennifer Daudena discovered one of the most effective genetic technologies: the genetic scissors called CRISPR/Cas9. Using this system, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms very precisely. This technology already has ground-breaking implications in the life sciences, and it contributes to the development of innovative cancer treatment methods and one day to the complete cure of hereditary diseases.
Researchers are required to change the genetic sequence in cells when they come to study the innermost activity of life. Until the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 method, genetic modification methods were challenging, complex and required a long time, and sometimes even impossible. Using the innovative system today makes it possible to change the code of life in just a few weeks.
"In this genetic tool is stored great power, a tool that affects us all. The innovative system not only brought about a groundbreaking revolution in basic science, but also led to innovative developments and will lead to new and groundbreaking medical treatments," said Claes Gustafsson, chairman of the Nobel Prize Chemistry Committee.
As is often the case in science, the discovery of these genetic scissors was unexpected. During Emmanuel Charpentier's research on Streptococcus pyogenes (a gram positive bacterium), one of the bacteria that causes the most damage to humanity, she discovered a molecule that was not known before, tracrRNA. Her research showed that this molecule is part of the bacterium's ancient immune system, a system known as CRISPR/Cas, which destroys harmful viruses by disassembling their DNA.
Charpentier published her discovery in 2011. That year, she began a collaboration with Jennifer Doudna, an experienced biochemist with extensive expertise in RNA. Together, they succeeded in reproducing the bacterium's genetic scissors in vitro using simpler molecular components that could be simplified the use of this system.
As part of an epoch-changing experiment, they reprogrammed the genetic scissors. In their natural form, the scissors identify DNA that originates from viruses only, but the two scientists proved that it is possible to control this system so that it can truncate any DNA at a predetermined location. When the genetic sequence can be cut at any point we want, then it is simpler to rewrite the code of life.
Since the two scientists discovered the genetic scissors in 2012, the use of this system has skyrocketed. This tool contributed to many important discoveries in the field of basic research, and researchers in the field of plants were able to develop crops with improved resistance to mold, pests and drought. In the field of medicine, clinical trials of new drugs to fight cancer are now underway, and the dream of being able to cure any hereditary disease is about to become a near reality. These genetic scissors lead the life sciences into a new era, and in many and varied ways, they make the greatest contribution to humanity.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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Regarding CRISPR, the controversy of patents, and much more, see a link to an article from the Davidson Institute website. At the end of the article there is a beautiful video demonstrating the process.
https://davidson.weizmann.ac.il/online/sciencepanorama/%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%95%
D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8
The greatness of the creator of the world.
Absolutely ridiculous. Feng Zhang and Philip Horvath should have received the award
It is very useful to change the words in the title from 'the genetic numbers' to 'the genetic scissors'.
I once read that the reason why no prize has been given for the Crisper until now is a dispute over patents.
Can someone explain what the controversy was? Has it been resolved? Or what I heard was not true at all.
If so, how come they haven't received it yet? They discovered it in 2012 and from the very beginning I understood that it was clear that it was a revolution.