“It is very important to discuss the bioethical aspects of gene editing”

American biochemist Jennifer Doudna explains how, together with Emmanuelle Charpentier, she discovered that the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 system can be adapted to edit the genome by cutting DNA at precise locations. She highlights its potential for basic research and for curing diseases such as sickle cell anemia or certain vision disorders, and underscores the importance of an international bioethical debate to guide its responsible application.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biology and Biomedicine category has been granted in its ninth edition to Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna and Francisco Martínez Mojica, for creating the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing techniques that have triggered a revolution in biology, equipping laboratories with a powerful tool to understand gene function and biological systems, and as a way to treat disease.