For the first time in history, a Nobel Prize in Science was awarded to two women. Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Dr. Jennifer A. Doudna was praised for their work in developing Crispr-Cas9, a method for genome modification.
"This year's award is about rewriting the code of life," said Goran K. Hansson, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, as he announced the names of the laureates.
Crispr-Cas9 functions as a genetic "scissors", allowing researchers to modify the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high accuracy. "This technology has completely transformed the way we do research in basic science," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the American National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Charpentier, French, is the director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin. Dr. Doudna is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Charpentier said she was "happy" to be one of the few women award winners and hoped the victory would inspire young women "to follow the path of science".
Dr. Charpentier, 51, and Dr. Doudna, 56, met at a cafe in Puerto Rico in 2011 during a conference where both were present, the Nobel committee said. They introduced Crispr-Cas9 in 2012.
Source: New York Times
