CALS-Affiliate, Chris Richardson, publishes paper in the Nature Biotechnology journal

Dr. Chris Richardson’s lab has improved upon the CRISPR/Cas9 technology used in genome editing by using homology-directed repair, replacing the expensive traditional viral method. Previously, researchers capitalized on bacteria’s behavior of incorporating parts of a virus’s genetic material into their own genome to recognize it in future attacks to edit the bacterial genome. Dr. Richardson’s lab has found a way to overcome efficiency and toxicity barriers by finding a way to perform gene editing without the use of viruses. Dr. Richardson’s work has long-reaching implications in clinical pathology and drug development.