Microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany and of Umeå University in Sweden and biochemist Jennifer Doudna, PhD, of the University of California, Berkeley, revolutionized the field of molecular genetics with their 2012 joint discovery of gene-editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9, which functions as a molecular scissor, cutting and destroying targeted DNA strands with exceptional precision. The technology is being used around the world to advance biological research and to engineer genes for developing powerful new therapies for a wide range of human diseases, as well as new biofuels and agricultural products.
