CRISPR genome engineering research institute expands into agriculture, microbiology
by noreply@blogger.com (brian wang) from NextBigFuture.com on (#2ADEZ)
An initiative launched two years ago by UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco to use CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to develop new disease therapies is expanding into research on the planet's major crops and poorly understood microbiomes, with plans to invest $125 million in these areas over the next five years.
The funds will not only boost support for biomedical research, but also allow the renamed Innovative Genomics Institute to explore the potential of gene editing in the globally important areas of agriculture and microbiology, and fund projects focused on the social and ethical implications of editing human, animal and plant genomes.
"The CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which is only four years old, is improving by leaps and bounds and has already altered the way doctors approach disease and scientists do research," said IGI executive director Jennifer Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at UC Berkeley. "The IGI has shown that the technology can cure the defect that causes sickle cell anemia, and we are moving toward clinical trials within a few years."
"But we've realized," she added, "that there are many others arenas in which better gene-editing tools can promote global health, specifically by improving crops and sustaining a healthy microbial environment that has been shown to prevent illness, improve crop yields and nurture a balanced ecosystem. At UC Berkeley we have the expertise in plant science and microbiology research to make a real contribution by designing higher-yield, more pest-resistant crops that a large proportion of the world's population depend on, and fostering the microbial populations critical to human health and the health of the planet."
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The funds will not only boost support for biomedical research, but also allow the renamed Innovative Genomics Institute to explore the potential of gene editing in the globally important areas of agriculture and microbiology, and fund projects focused on the social and ethical implications of editing human, animal and plant genomes.
"The CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which is only four years old, is improving by leaps and bounds and has already altered the way doctors approach disease and scientists do research," said IGI executive director Jennifer Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at UC Berkeley. "The IGI has shown that the technology can cure the defect that causes sickle cell anemia, and we are moving toward clinical trials within a few years."
"But we've realized," she added, "that there are many others arenas in which better gene-editing tools can promote global health, specifically by improving crops and sustaining a healthy microbial environment that has been shown to prevent illness, improve crop yields and nurture a balanced ecosystem. At UC Berkeley we have the expertise in plant science and microbiology research to make a real contribution by designing higher-yield, more pest-resistant crops that a large proportion of the world's population depend on, and fostering the microbial populations critical to human health and the health of the planet."
Read more