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THREAD: Award of Nobel Prize was a matter of time for CRISPR/cas9 tech. Nobel com. awarded Charpentier & Doudna. But is this fitting when so many have contributed? Here I discuss who else might have got it for CRISPR/cas9. #ChemNobel #AcademicChatter #Doudna #CRISPR #Charpentier
Yoshizumi Ishino 石野 良純 was the first to identify CRISPR sequences' existence in 1987, but after stating that the significance was unknown, didn't do further research on it. @IshinoYoshizumi https://doi.org/10.1128%2Fjb.169.12.5429-5433.1987
Francisco Mojica was first researcher to characterize CRISPR locus in 1993. Mojica described the complete gene sequence repeats in the archaea and studied their function. @FjmojicaMojica https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8412707/
Eugene Koonin is a significant participant in the discovery, characterization, and classification of CRISPR-Cas systems; he explored the mobile genetic elements (MGE) for the origin of components of CRISPR-Cas systems @eugene_koonin https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2017.05.008.
Since 2002 Philippe Horvath was working on CRISPR strains identification and their role in the bacterial immune system. He is the 2015 Massry Prize and 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award-winner with current laureates. @philhor https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1138140
In 2008, John van der Oost discovered and explained the guide RNA system That helps the CRISPR target specific DNA sequences. He found unique central metabolism pathways in archaea revealing many new enzymes and their regulation. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1159689
In 2008, Luciano Marraffini and Erik Sontheimer pioneered the study of the mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas systems, they determined that CRISPR-Cas immunity uses sequence-specific DNA destruction to neutralize invaders. @MarraffiniLab @ESontheimerLab DOI: 10.1126/science.1165771
Sylvain Moineau, "The Phage Whisperer," performed experiments demonstrate for the first time the role of CRISPR together with Cas9 genes in protecting bacteria against viruses. @smoineau DOI: 10.1126/science.1138140
Emmanuelle Charpentier repurposed CRISPR into a tool for genome editing. She uncovered a novel mechanism for the maturation of a non-coding RNA, which is pivotal in the function of CRISPR/Cas9. @e__charpentier https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature09886
Virginijus Šikšnys submitted his article describing DNA cleavage by Cas9 to Cell Reports on April 18, 2012 before Doudna and Charpentier, but got it rejected. D&C had published in Science, where their results were reviewed, accepted within two weeks. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1208507109
In 2012, Doudna and Charpentier made a discovery that reduces the time and work needed to edit genomic DNA. Cas9 and Streptococcus bacterial "CRISPR" immune system that cooperates with guide RNA and works like scissors. @doudna_lab https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.1225829
Feng Zhang 张锋 began work to harness and optimize the CRISPR system to work in human cells in early 2011. It established features of the guide necessary for Cas9 to function effectively in the mammalian cells. @zhangf https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature09523
I might have missed some of the scientists who gave years in the CRISPR science, and I might not have quoted their work right due to the field's very specialized nature. The decisions of the Nobel prize committee are equally prone to be inaccurate.
Nobel prize committee has some fair share of good and bad examples of award decisions. I have shared some heroes who have dedicated their lives to work and believe that they need to be recognized even if they don't get some broken yet ubiquitously cherished prize. END OF THREAD
