Are CRISPR designed babies the future? Update 1 year after birth
Reading Time: 6 minutes The German news site n-tv.de interviewed me about a week ago about the possibilities and risks of the CRISPR gene-editing technology. The reason for this piece was the first anniversary of the CRISPR designed babies, the twins (with the pseudonyms Lulu and Nana). In short, a Chinese researcher and former associate professor at the Southern…
Creating better scientific stories. Should we fight fake fire with fire?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Using anecdotes in a scientific context may be a double-edged sword. Still, we need captivating strategies to replace pseudoscientific stories with better ones without losing accuracy and trust. The time my niece got a triple vaccine shot Let me tell you about the time my niece received a triple vaccination shot. She was about a…
Can we treat diseases with Cas12a (CRISPR)? Modifying multiple genes.
Reading Time: 4 minutes A Swiss team figured out how to modify multiple genes in one cell using the gene-editing CRISPR-system Cas12a. What do the findings mean for disease treatment strategies? Can we now treat diseases with Cas12a? In May, during our Amsterdam S.H.I.T. Show, we talked about the gene-editing CRISPR-Cas systems and how they enable you to cut…
Sex and gender | Blue is for Girls, Pink is for Boys
Reading Time: 6 minutes “Is it a boy or a girl?” The first question we ask about a new baby. But can we honestly answer it? Or is this distinction between male and female sex or gender trickier than we think? In our society, we accept that genitalia determines our sex and gender: if you are born with a…
S.H.I.T. Show to the people! (an update)
Reading Time: 4 minutes OK, so we arranged our first ever Science&Health Informal Talk (S.H.I.T.) Show in Amsterdam. We uploaded pictures from it on our social media, but where’s that written update we promised you?? Sorry for the delay, but it’s summer here. Plus, the preparation for the event took some time and accumulated our responsibilities outside the Ivory…
The S.H.I.T. Show and how it all started, Interview with the organizers
Reading Time: 5 minutes In case you haven’t heard, the Ivory Embassy is organizing the upcoming Science & Health Informal Talk Show (or simply the S.H.I.T. Show). The event DNA Manipulation: Treating Diseases and Designing Babies with CRISPR takes place in Amsterdam on May 23rd and will highlight the implications of CRISPR-Cas – a new biotechnological tool that can…
What is epigenetics? The making of a spectacular concert
Reading Time: 4 minutes Don’t believe me? Ask my mom; seven years of researching epigenetics in cancer, and she finally learned: “He studies epigenetics! …and cancer…”. Her doctor-friends apparently give her looks of admiration (her words, not mine) and tell her that “that’s the shit in research today” (my words, not hers). Yet, except for doctors, researchers and now…
First CRISPR babies born in China | Is that a good thing?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It finally happened. The CRISPR babies born in China were the first gene edited babies ever! Or that’s the claim at least. He Jiankui, a scientist from the Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen claims to have disabled a gene important for HIV infections. He edited embryos using CRISPR, which he…
The top 6 limitations of CRISPR for successful treatments
Reading Time: 6 minutes China started CRISPR clinical trials already in 2015. The US came shortly after. Why so few diseases targeted? What are the limitations of CRISPR technology for clinical applications? Damn, this CRISPR-thing escalated fast. In 2013, we could read the first reports of the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 being used in human and mouse cells and shortly…
The gut microbiome (Part 2) – what controls the microbiome?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Yet another Q&A, because it’s fun. In our last post you saw that microorganisms in your digestive tracts are a big part of your life. Much of the bacteria in your intestines for example live in symbiosis with you, which can affect many aspects of your life. If you missed it you can have a…