Gene editing starts to save lives

• Autores: Michael Le Page
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3104-3106, 2016, pág. 39
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • In 2015, a little girl called Layla was treated with gene-edited immune cells that eliminated all signs of the leukemia that was killing her. Layla's treatment was a one-off, but by the end of 2017, the technique could have saved dozens of lives. Gene editing involves altering or disabling existing genes, which used to be extremely difficult. It took many years to develop the gene-editing tool that saved Layla, but thanks to a revolutionary method known as CRISPR, this can now be done in just weeks. In fact, CRISPR works so well that the first human trial involving the method has already begun.