Creators of CRISPR genetic “scissors” win 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Two scientists, Emmanuelle Charpentier, who is French, and American Jennifer Doudna, won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for creating genetic "scissors" that can rewrite the code of life, contributing to new cancer therapies and holding out the prospect of curing hereditary diseases.
The two scientists will share the $1.1 million prize for developing the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to edit the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms.
Charpentier and Doudna have also become the sixth and seventh women to win a Nobel prize for chemistry, joining Marie Curie, who won in 1911, and more recently, Frances Arnold, in 2018.
Doudna is already employing CRISPR in the battle against the coronavirus as co-founder of biotech startup Mammoth, which has tied up with GlaxoSmithKline to develop a test to detect COVID-19 infections.
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