Free Republic

Georgia State University scientists have created gene-edited hamsters for studies of social neuroscience and have found that the biology behind social behavior may be more complex than previously thought. A team of Georgia State University researchers led by Regents' Professor of Neuroscience H. Elliott Albers and Distinguished University Professor Kim Huhman used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to eliminate the actions of a neurochemical signaling pathway that plays a critical role in regulating social behaviors in mammals. Vasopressin and the receptor that it acts on called Avpr1a regulates social phenomena ranging from pair bonding, cooperation, and social communication to dominance and aggression. The...

Scientists in Britain just got approval to conduct research that involves editing the genetic material of healthy human embryos. This is a big deal: The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is the first government agency in the world to endorse research that involves altering the human genome for research -- a move that could signal broader acceptance for a promising (but controversial) new area of science. The research team, led by Dr. Kathy Niakan at the UK's Francis Crick Institute, is trying to better understand which genes allow a healthy human embryo to develop. Niakan's team will use a...

In a world first, Chinese scientists have reported editing the genomes of human embryos. The results are published in the online journal Protein & Cell and confirm widespread rumors that such experiments had been conducted—rumors that sparked a high-profile debate last month about the ethical implications of such work. In the paper, researchers led by Junjiu Huang, a gene-function researcher at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, tried to head off such concerns by using 'non-viable' embryos, which cannot result in a live birth, that were obtained from local fertility clinics. The team attempted to modify the gene responsible for β-thalassaemia,...

Pharma heavyweight Novartis has stepped in to help bankroll Berkeley, CA-based Caribou Biosciences, one of the upstart leaders in the race to develop the cutting-edge CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. The pharma giant joined a group of backers that includes Fidelity Biosciences, Mission Bay Capital, and 5 Prime as well as company founder Jennifer Doudna, a key player among a small group of investigators which has spawned a lineup of closely watched biotechs.All together the group, which was also joined by an unnamed investor, provided $11 million in an A round to Caribou, which plans to use the cash to further...

We have the earth-shattering technology in our hands—but even its inventors worry about its awesome power to alter our genetic future. “We have within our grasp the technology to change evolution. This could change the course of biological life.” — Paul Berg, Nobel Laureate and a pioneer of genetic engineeringIn 2012, scientists in the U.S. and Sweden invented a technology as potentially life-altering as splitting the atom. One that you haven’t heard of—yet—called “CRISPR-Cas9”. This innovation with the cumbrous name allows biologists to edit DNA almost as easily as cutting and pasting words and letters on a laptop.Scientists say...