Cornell University scientist Maria Jasin famed for trailblazing DNA research towards cancer breakthrough wins a Shaw Prize in Hong Kong
- Genetics researcher Jasin given medical award for services to gene-editing
- Judges say her work must not be tarnished with controversies surrounding embryo modification
A US scientist known for her groundbreaking DNA research that could pave the way for cancer prevention and even a cure was among three scholars awarded a prestigious annual prize in Hong Kong.
Maria Jasin, medical sciences professor at Cornell University, was announced as the winner of the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine on Tuesday for having also laid the foundation for the subsequent gene-editing technology.
Such gene-editing techniques include CRISPR – the technology used on the world’s first gene-edited babies announced by Chinese scientist He Jiankui last year at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong.
He shocked the world when he announced he had performed the controversial experiment on twin girls born from embryos by modifying their genes to make them resistant to HIV.
Chinese authorities later condemned He for acting illegally, and issued a draft regulation to restrict the use of gene editing in humans.