They have “revolutionised basic science.”
Two female scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Dr Emmanuelle Charpentier and Dr Jennifer A. Doudna won the prestigious prize this week for their development of Crispr-Cas9 – a tool that can precisely modify the genes of animals and plants.
This is the first time in history that a Nobel Prize for science has been awarded to two women.
The New York Times reports that Dr Charpentier said she is “happy” to be one of the recipients of the prize, and that she hopes her win “can provide a really strong message for young girls” to “follow in the path of science.”
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“There is enormous power in this genetic tool, which affects us all,” said Claes Gustafsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
“It has not only revolutionised basic science, but also resulted in innovative crops and will lead to ground-breaking new medical treatments.”
“This technology has utterly transformed the way we do research in basic science,” added Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. “I am thrilled to see Crispr-Cas getting the recognition we have all been waiting for, and seeing two women being recognised as Nobel Laureates.”
Dr Charpentier and Dr Doudna first published their discovery of the genetic scissors in 2012. The tool has since been used in the search for cures for conditions such as hereditary blindness and sickle call disease.
The women met at a café in Puerto Rico in 2011 while attending a conference.
