How to protect a country’s genetic resources ?
The Nagoya Protocol might ring a bell, but few people know exactly what it stands for. Many biotech companies develop products and processes in which a specific kind of microbe, seed or enzyme (or, in some cases, a specific plant or animal species) is used. These genetic resources all originate or are derived from an […]
Dawn of a new era: How CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing cuts beyond science
Every year, the leading scientific journal Science selects its “breakthrough of the year.” The gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 was the runner up in 2013 and 2014, but it finally broke through and earned the title in 2015. The bacterial immune system turned genetic toolbox is changing the world of molecular biology at breakneck speed, and the […]
Folate-rich rice to combat vitamin deficiency
I was published in Nature Certain biological functions require essential nutrients; these are molecules that the body cannot produce itself and must be taken up through the diet. Folate is one of these essential nutrients and folate deficiency is a problem in many developing countries. Researchers at UGent recently created a genetically modified rice variety, […]
Key role for polyglutamine repeats in cell function
Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have revealed that variable polyglutamine repeats in the DNA tune the function of the protein in which they reside. To date, these repeats were known only to cause severe neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s. These findings now show that polyglutamine repeats may be more than just harmful elements. The […]
People doubt science: a case-study on GMOs
Why do people doubt science? This billion-dollar question was recently tweeted by Robert F Fraley, Monsanto’s vice president and chief technology officer. Accompanying the tweet was a link to the cover story “The war on science” in National Geographic’s March 2015 issue. The article poses that we are living in an age when all manner […]