Gene-editing tool CRISPR wins 2020 Nobel Prize

Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work to develop CRISPR/Cas9. This was the first time that two female scientists have won the prize, approximately £861K to be shared equally between the laureates.

The Nobel Prize Committee highlighted that the “genetic scissors” have already benefited humankind greatly, despite having been discovered less than a decade ago. According to scientists, the technology has the potential to help fight many diseases in the future, including malaria, dengue, Zika and even cancer. It could also potentially help address current biodiversity loss trends and other environmental challenges.

To find more about the 2020 Nobel Prize, visit Science News, The Conversation, PLOS Blog, and Quanta Magazine.