Emmanuel Charpatier and Jennifer A. Udana awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the acquisition of the CRISPR genome

They found one of the sharpest tools in gene technology: CRISPR / CAS9 genetic scissors. Using this, researchers can alter the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with very high precision.

Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Gauran K. Hansen said this year’s prize is to “rewrite the code of life.”

CRISPR / CAS9 gene acquisition tools can revolutionize nuclear life sciences, bring new opportunities for plant breeding, contribute to innovative cancer treatments and realize the dream of curing hereditary diseases.

Charpinsier of France, and Daudna of the U.S., are the first women to jointly win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and the sixth and seventh women to receive the Chemistry Prize.