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This year the French Emmanuelle Charpentier and the American Jennifer Doudna will receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She has developed methods of genetic modification. Charpentier works in Berlin.
This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to genetic researcher Emmanuelle Charpentier (France), currently working in Germany, and Jennifer A. Doudna (USA) for the development of genetic modification methods. This was announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
You played a key role in the development of the so-called Crispr / Cas9 genetic scissors. According to the Nobel Committee, Crispr / Cas9 have revolutionized molecular life sciences, brought new possibilities for plant breeding, contributed to innovative cancer therapies, and could make the dream of curing inherited diseases a reality.
Change DNA with the utmost precision
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna made use of one of the sharpest tools in genetic engineering: with the Crispr / Cas9 gene scissors, the researchers were able to modify the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with the greatest precision, depending on the given reason.
Charpentier from France currently works at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and investigates pathogens. “I was very excited, I have to say that,” she said after the announcement.
The Crispr / cas9 method was originally copied from bacteria. They have developed a kind of immune system that allows them to recognize and protect themselves from virus attacks. In 2012, Charpentier and Doudna came up with the idea to develop a molecular biology tool from it. Scientists hope to use it to develop, for example, higher-yielding or disease-resistant varieties and breeds in plant and animal reproduction.
Reputation, but also ethical doubts
In the summer of 2018, the European Union Court of Justice ruled in a landmark ruling that plants manipulated with genetic scissors must also be labeled as genetically modified.
In the medical field, researchers hope that human genetic defects can be repaired, thus preventing diseases such as malaria and serious inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia or muscular dystrophy. Human germline interventions are controversial because genetic changes affect all future generations.
In April 2015, Chinese researchers reported for the first time that they had genetically modified human embryos with Crispr / cas. However, the embryos were neither developed nor implanted. In November 2018, a Chinese scientist announced that he had used genetic scissors to change the genome of twins who had just been born in the early embryonic stage. In Germany, interventions on the human germ line are not yet allowed.
Rare award for women
This year’s most prestigious award for chemists is endowed with a total of 10 million crowns (around 950,000 euros), one million crowns more than last year.
The award ceremony traditionally takes place on December 10, the anniversary of founder Alfred Nobel’s death. Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to 183 different researchers. So far, five women have been among the winners, for example Marie Curie in 1911, who discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium.
