Gene editing—making directed, deliberate, and specific changes in a genome—can be deployed through multiple strategies, but the most commonly used form relies on a bacterial protein called Cas9. This protein can be introduced into human cells and then “guided,” or directed, to a specific part of a cell’s genome to make a deliberate alteration: typically a cut in the genome that usually disables the targeted gene. Bacteria use this system to chop up the genes of invading viruses, thereby inactivating the invader. Pioneers of gene editing, including Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Feng
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