Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to 2 Scientists for Work on Genome Editing - The New York Times

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[View the latest updates to the 2020 Nobel Prize winners list.]

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded on Wednesday to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna for their 2012 work on the development of Crispr-Cas9, a method for genome editing. The announcement marks the first time a science Nobel has been awarded to two women.

“This year’s prize is about rewriting the code of life,” Goran K. Hansson, the secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, said as he announced the names of the laureates.

Dr. Charpentier and Dr. Doudna, only the fifth and sixth women to win the chemistry prize, pioneered early work on Crispr-Cas9, a kind of genetic scissors that allows researchers to alter the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. Since then, it has been used in numerous scientific applications, from genetically modifying crops to developing cures-in-progress for conditions like sickle cell disease and hereditary blindness.

Claes Gustafsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said, “There is enormous power in this genetic tool, which affects us all. It has not only revolutionized basic science, but also resulted in innovative crops and will lead to groundbreaking new medical treatments.”

While the two scientists developed Crispr for general use, some of the system’s specific applications have become ensnared in thorny ethical debates around the genetic alteration of human embryos. In 2018, He Jiankui, a Chinese scientist, announced that he had used the technology to edit the genes of two babies in an attempt to make them resistant to H.I.V. Dr. He’s experiments were decried by many in the scientific community as irresponsible and dangerous because of the risk that the children may have suffered side effects from the procedure, as well as Dr. He’s lack of transparency.

Who are the winners?

Dr. Charpentier, who is French, is the director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin. Dr. Doudna (the first syllable rhymes with loud) is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. They are the third and fourth women to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the 21st century, out of more than 50 recipients.

Dr. Charpentier said she was “happy” to be one of the few female recipients of the prize, and hoped the win would be inspiring to young women “to follow the path of science.” The joint win between two women in academic disciplines still dominated by men, she added, “can provide a really strong message for young girls.”

Dr. Charpentier, 51, and Dr. Doudna, 56, met at a cafe in Puerto Rico in 2011 on the margins of a conference they were both attending, the Nobel committee said. They first published their discovery of the Crispr-Cas 9 genetic scissors in 2012.

Who won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry?

John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino were recognized for research on lithium-ion batteries that has “laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society,” according to the prize committee.

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How eight winners got the word.

Who else won a Nobel Prize this year?

• Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough the Nobel committee said had “made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives.”

• Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez received the Physics prize on Tuesday for their discoveries that have improved understanding of the universe, including work on black holes.

When will the other Nobel Prizes be announced?

• The Nobel Prizes in Literature will be announced on Thursday in Sweden. The prizes for both 2018 and 2019 were announced last year after a postponement of the 2018 prize. That occurred after the husband of an academy member was accused, and ultimately convicted, of rape — a crisis that led to the departure of several board members and required the intervention of the King of Sweden.

• The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday in Norway. Read about last year’s winner, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia.

• The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science will be announced Monday next week in Sweden. Read about last year’s winners, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer.

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Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to 2 Scientists for Work on Genome Editing - The New York Times
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