‘Genetic Scissors’: Two Females Win 2020 Nobel Prize In Chemistry, Share $1m

The Nobel Foundation, on Wednesday, announced that the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry had been awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.

The foundation noted that the duo had developed “a method for genome editing.”

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Laureate Doudna is a professor and research expert based in the United States while Laureate Charpentier is a director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany.

The foundation stressed that the feat of the scientists would help in rewriting the code of life (Genetic scissors).

“Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors.

“Using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences, is contributing to new cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true.

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“Researchers need to modify genes in cells if they are to find out about life’s inner workings. This used to be time-consuming, difficult and sometimes impossible work. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, it is now possible to change the code of life over the course of a few weeks,” the foundation stated on its website.

Furthermore, the scientists received 10 million Swedish kronor (1,121,983.00 United States Dollars) which is to be jointly shared among them.

Reacting to the development, Charpentier said that she was driven with a passion to positively contribute to the world of science.

“My wish is that this will provide a positive message to the young girls who would like to follow the path of science, and to show them that women in science can also have an impact through the research that they are performing,” she said.

The concept of the Nobel Prize is geared toward inspiring generations and disseminating knowledge.

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