Scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna made history, as they are the first two women to share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This is an important achievement in its own right, especially because of the lack of representation of women in STEM careers. They hope that this will inspire other girls and women to be interested in science and pursue their dreams.
Additionally, their discovery is monumental, as it involves gene editing. Their "gene scissors," Crispr-Cas9, allow them to make very precise changes to DNA in living cells. They have used it to disarm viruses, and are currently researching if it can be used to treat genetic diseases, such as sickle cell anaemia. They are also doing clinical trials in cancer treatments using Crispr-Cas9, which would be a huge achievement if the trials are successful.
By Claire Mikulcik
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