What is the Second Genome and how does it affect us?

Did you know that there are fewer human cells in our body than bacterial cells? For the human body to contain anything other than our own cells has always caused controversy; however, the idea of a second genome has been around for a while. Continue reading What is the Second Genome and how does it affect us?

Biochemical SocietyNovember 25, 2019March 5, 20202 Comments

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An introduction to gene editing

shutterstock_370835885 — CRISPR-CaS9 gene editing complex from Streptococcus pyogenes. The CaS9 nuclease protein uses a guide RNA sequence to cut DNA at a complementary site.

By Anastasia Stefanidou, Communications Officer, Biochemical Society

Gene editing and the use of CRISPR to fix genetic disease in human embryos seem to be all over the news these days.

It has just been reported that a team of American and South Korean scientists have successfully used CRISPR, a tool that cuts DNA with more precision than any other genome editing technology, to fix a genetic defect in human embryos that can cause serious heart problems. Continue reading “An introduction to gene editing”