Nobel Prizes for Physics, Chemistry and Medicine are the proof of scientific achievement. It honours life-changing discoveries and great minds . It is not easy to predict the winners of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
On October 7, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 was awarded jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm awarded the two scientists “for the development of a method for genome editing.”.
The scientists discovered a CRISPR gene editing tool for ‘rewriting the code of life’.
The first two women to jointly win the chemistry prize
Positive message to the young girls who would like to follow the path of science
Emmanuelle Charpentier, a French microbiologist and Jennifer Doudna, an American biochemist, are the sixth and seventh women to win the chemistry prize.
They are also the first women to jointly win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Scientist Charpentier said she wants her win to be a “positive message to the young girls who would like to follow the path of science”. She added that she wished it shows “them that women in science can also have an impact through the research that they are performing.”
What is the CRISPR?
The CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors was discovered by the two women. This is one of gene technology’s sharpest tools. Researchers now can change the DNA of animals, plants and micro-organisms with the highest precision.
The CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing tools have revolutionised the molecular life sciences. New opportunities are now possible for the breeding of plants as a result of their discovery. It is also contributing to innovative cancer therapies. Thanks to their discover curing inherited diseases may become a reality announced the Nobel Prize committee.
