Read the article \"TheseWomenHelpedCreateCRISPR.pdf\" (also here online: https:/

Question

Read the article "TheseWomenHelpedCreateCRISPR.pdf" (also here online: https://mic.com/articles/133249/emmanuelle-charpentier-and-jennifer-doudna-helped-create-crispr-gene-editing-so-why-are-they-written-out-of-its-history- .Syjde40IR) This article describes how Eric Lander from the Broad Institute tried to rewrite in favor of the people that work in his institute. Answer one of the following questions: Make a timeline with at least 5 dates from the story. Include the controversial claim that Zhang discovered how to use CRISPR-Cas9 before Doudna's paper was published. Mike Eisen (Berkeley prof who is running for US Senate) brings in different arguments through his tweets. Describe two of his opinions and how they relate to the story. Do you think discoveries that were made using tax dollars should be patented?

Explanation / Answer

1. CRISPR- Cas 9 is a technology developed for editing DNA and it has potential to cure genetic diseases by rectifying the genetic make up of the organism.There is a controversy as Doudna, a young researcher at Berkeley had already published a paper regarding the same technology, while Zhang from Broad Institute got it patented in 2011.

This is how the timeline goes -

- 1989 At Santo Palo, a Spanish port city a doctoral student curiously studied a microbes aberrant behaviour to high salt concentration.

-2011 Zhang from Broad Institute gave his first talk on CRISPR , claiming it as his own findings. This is called CRISPR -Cas 9 Technology. Both Doudna and Zhang had applied for patents but Zhang got it patented in his name as he might have applied through the fast track program of Patents Office.

-2012 Two young researchers Doudna (from Berkeley) and Carpentier (from Helmholtz Institute for Infection Research, Germany ) published a paper regarding the use of Cas9 bacteria to make specific cuts in DNA. For this, they also got a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

-2013 Zhang from MIT and George Church from Harvard separately published papers on modifying DNA using Cas 9.

-2013 Four weeks later Doudna published a paper regarding use of Cas 9 in editing animal DNA.

2. Mike Eisen is very much true in this respect. US Government is levying taxes on its citizens and in turn using that money to give fellowships as well as establish good labs for cutting edge scientific research. But actually what is happening is that those public funds are used to serve personal interests of researcher's (Zhang here) and belittling efforts of young reserchers like Doudna.

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