Home

An antivirus system that evolved eons ago in vertebrate cells helps to defend us against viruses. But it also vexes scientists. Whenever researchers try to insert foreign DNA into a cell’s nucleus—to study the function of a gene, or when trying to develop a gene therapy—the antivirus system silences the DNA.

DNA testing is gaining popularity. In 2017 alone, the number of people taking genealogy tests doubled, suggesting that one of every 25 American adults have had their genes analyzed - that’s about 12 million people.

The Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Mouse genome editing subsidy awards, which are made possible by generous funding from Roy and Diana Vagelos.