The Human Genome Is Very Long

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A, that would be the understatement of the year, i think. What was einstein's favorite phrase, everything should be made as simple as possible, but not necessarily simpler. Most living systems don't like their dian changed in any way at all. This is because diane is essentially te the the storage document for who they are. And mother nature protects the integrity of the genetic material. So if something damages it, and what a kindWhat are the kinds of things that damage diana? So you v rays create a particular kind of damage. Chemicals can damage, can damage d an aso for example,. The reason smoking causes cancer is it has a chemical which physically damages

Not too long ago nobody carried a mobile phone; now almost everybody does. That’s the kind of rate of rapid progress we’re seeing with our ability to directly edit genomes. With the use of CRISPR-Cas9 and other techniques, gene editing is becoming commonplace. How does that work — and perhaps more importantly, how are we going to put it to use? Fyodor Urnov has worked in this area from its beginning, having coined the term “gene editing.” We talk about how this new technology can be used to cure or prevent disease, as well as the pros and cons of designer babies.

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Fyodor Urnov received his Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University. He is currently professor of Genetic, Genomics, and Development in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, as well as Director for Technology and Translation at the Innovative Genomics Institute. His research focuses on using CRISPR gene-editing techniques to develop treatments for sickle cell disease, radiation injury, and other conditions, as well as guiding IGI researchers as they bring these therapies from the lab to the clinic.

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