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Putting a finger on the switch of chronic parasite infection

Researchers find master regulator needed for Toxoplasma gondii parasite to chronically infect host; promising step toward infection treatment, prevention.

Greta Friar | Whitehead Institute | Jan. 21, 2020 | mit

~6 mins

Tags: whitehead-institute biology chemistry disease genetics crispr medicine research parasites school-of-science

Using CRISPR to program gels with new functions

Smart materials change properties in response to specific DNA sequences; could be used in a variety of devices.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office | Aug. 22, 2019 | mit

~6 mins

Tags: research dna crispr genetics diagnostic-devices drug-delivery biological-engineering institute-for-medical-engineering-and-science-imes school-of-engineering

High-precision technique stores cellular “memory” in DNA

Engineers program human and bacterial cells to keep a record of complex molecular events.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office | Aug. 22, 2019 | mit

~7 mins

Tags: research memory biological-engineering electrical-engineering-computer-science-eecs school-of-engineering national-institutes-of-health-nih national-science-foundation-nsf dna crispr defense-advanced-research-projects-agency-darpa

Speeding up drug discovery for brain diseases

Whitehead Institute team finds drugs that activate a key brain gene; initial tests in cells and mice show promise for rare, untreatable neurodevelopmental disorder.

Nicole Davis | July 31, 2019 | mit

~6 mins

Tags: whitehead-institute picower-institute school-of-science behavior biology brain-and-cognitive-sciences crispr development disease genetics mental-health national-institutes-of-health-nih pharmaceuticals research proteins drug-development

New CRISPR platform expands RNA editing capabilities

The new system, dubbed RESCUE, allows RNA edits to be made that were not previously possible.

Sabbi Lall | McGovern Institute for Brain Research | July 11, 2019 | mit

~6 mins

Tags: mcgovern-institute broad-institute brain-and-cognitive-sciences biological-engineering school-of-science crispr school-of-engineering rna dna genetics research

Using gene editing, neuroscientists develop a new model for autism

By introducing a gene variant associated with autism into monkeys, researchers hope to study treatment options for severe neurodevelopmental disorders.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office | June 12, 2019 | mit

~9 mins

Tags: research autism crispr genome-editing brain-and-cognitive-sciences neuroscience mcgovern-institute broad-institute school-of-science school-of-engineering china

New gene-editing system precisely inserts large DNA sequences into cellular DNA

Researchers identify and develop new CRISPR-associated transposase system for targeted integration of DNA, adding key capabilities to gene-editing technology.

Karen Zusi | Broad Institute | June 12, 2019 | mit