gene editing

Scientists discover VIPR, a gene-editing system older than CRISPR

Scientists have identified a gene-editing system believed to be over four billion years old, one that may have given rise to CRISPR and could eventually surpass it as a tool for modifying DNA. The system, called VIPR — short for…

Columbia study finds gene editing in embryos effective but too risky for clinical use

A team of researchers led by Columbia University has demonstrated that base editing can modify genes in human embryos with remarkable precision, achieving 100% accuracy in some experiments, but the study published Wednesday in Nature also exposed a range of…

Gene-editing therapy hits 100% remission across 30-plus sickle cell and thalassemia patients

A base-editing therapy developed by Shanghai-based CorrectSequence Therapeutics has achieved transfusion independence or freedom from painful vaso-occlusive crises in every patient treated to date — more than 30 across four continents — according to clinical data published September 7 in…

Pig kidney kept patient alive 9 months before human transplant, Lancet study finds

A 67-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease lived without dialysis for 271 days after receiving a gene-edited pig kidney, then went on to receive a successful human kidney transplant — the first reported case of a patient transitioning from a…

Scientists use CRISPR to create allergy-free beagles

A geneticist with a lifelong dog allergy can now play fetch with his own beagle, thanks to a gene-editing breakthrough that could eventually help millions of would-be pet owners.

Second child’s death in China gene-editing trial disclosed after months of silence

The deaths of two children in separate gene-editing clinical trials in China have come to light in rapid succession, intensifying scrutiny over the country's regulatory framework for cutting-edge medical research and the transparency of investigator-led studies.

CRISPR tool rewrites Huntington’s gene, easing symptoms in mice

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that a precision gene-editing tool can reduce the toxic protein burden and neurological symptoms of Huntington's disease in mice — not by silencing the gene, but by subtly rewriting how it…

Child’s death in China gene-editing trial sparks ethics scandal

A six-year-old Chinese girl died in March 2025 after receiving an experimental gene-editing therapy at Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai, a death that was concealed from a subsequent paper published in Nature Springer Nature Group and is now prompting widespread calls…

Chinese university probes girl’s death in gene-editing trial

A Chinese university has launched an investigation into the death of a six-year-old girl following an experimental gene-editing treatment, a fatality that was never publicly disclosed in the researchers' published work.

Girl’s death in China gene-editing trial was concealed, investigation finds

A 6-year-old girl died after receiving the world's first brain gene-editing treatment in China, and her death was never publicly reported, according to an investigation published on Wednesday by Science and Retraction Watch.