Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered a new gene-editing technique that allows for the programming of sequential cuts — or edits — over time.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Prof. Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, Scientific and Managing Director of the newly established Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin for her groundbreaking work on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. She shares the prize with Jennifer Doudna from the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

The membrane surrounding cells acts as a selective barrier. Scientists have therefore struggled to engineer efficient methods of delivering nanomaterials, such as DNA, proteins and drugs, into cells. Now, Korean researchers have developed a rapid and efficient delivery method that uses the power of a tiny fluid vortex to deform the cell membranes.

Uppsala researchers have developed a new method for investigating dynamic processes in large genetic libraries. By using this method to study cell cycle regulation, they help paint a clearer picture of the elusive control mechanism.

Microorganisms used as “production plants” for active ingredients are an important asset in the sustainable bioeconomy toolkit. But how can production strains be manipulated most efficiently for optimal performance in the process? A new approach is based on miniaturization and automation.

High-attrition rates during clinical development of new cancer therapies still persist. A new 3D ex vivo microfluidics platform shall now enhance cancer drug screening and early development process by creating cancer models which predict clinical outcomes with significantly increased reliability.

At the Julius Kühn Institute, the Federal Research Institute for Cultivated Plants in Germany, a young working group is trying to specifically modify the genetic material of plants, through genome editing. In this way, they also want to investigate possible risks of this technology. LAB Worldwide visited the team for one day.

For the first time, researchers have solved the structure of viral anti-Crispr proteins attached to a bacterial Crispr surveillance complex, revealing precisely how viruses incapacitate the bacterial defense system.

In research on zebrafish, Örebro scientists have identified a gene that is essential for producing sperm. Results show that fewer and poorer quality sperm are produced when the gene was turned off with the Crispr/Cas9 technique. The next step is to test whether the same is true in humans.