A certain ratio

摘要

CRISPR has become the go-to tool for gene editing in biological research,the development of biotechnology products and the treatment of diseases.While it gives high hopes for radical new medical treatments,some of the potential uses we may put it to have taken on an air of controversy.A recent paper claims to demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas 9 editing can be used to bias the sex ratio in mammals.If it were extended for larger mammals it could have seismic effects on the economics of animal husbandry and agriculture.The research was carried out by a team at the Sadder School of Medicine in Tel Aviv,with funding partly from by the F.uropcan Research Council.The fact is has not drawn greater international attention is surprising.The team under Dr IdoYosef and Professor Udi Qimron,say they have used a CRISPR technique on strains of mice to successfully bias the gender towards the female line.