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CRISPR / Cas9: Revolutionary technology allows DNA editing
The possibility of editing the genome has always been the object of desire and curiosity not only among scientists, but also of society as a whole. Within this field, one of the greatest innovations in the world of science is CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology that allows DNA to be modified, deleting and inserting genes into an organism, including eliminating disease-causing genes. The technology is considered revolutionary because it allows genetic manipulation with greater accuracy, speed and lower cost.
In order to discuss the different aspects of this innovation, Embrapa promoted on October 26, 2016,
the Workshop on Genomic Editing: CRISPR / CAS9, which opened the Panel Strategic vision of the use of the tool in the world, which was attended by the Renowned Chinese scientist Dr. Caixia Gao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The researcher was quoted in the June issue of the journal Nature as one of China's biggest "science stars." Gao has developed a disease-resistant wheat that is expected to be released on the market through the CRISPR / Cas9 technique.
The benefits of CRISPR technology for agriculture are promising. In addition to enabling the generation of pest resistant plants, its application has also allowed the development of varieties more tolerant to environmental stresses.
Held in partnership with the Biotechnology Information Council (CIB), the workshop also discussed the regulatory challenges of this technology and methodologies involved in the use of the tool.