A decade later, biotech’s CRISPR revolution is still going strong

A research paper published a decade ago touched off a biomedical revolution that has made careers, spawned companies and drawn billions of dollars of investment. By the end of the year, the gene editing technology that paper described could win Food and Drug Administration approval as part of a powerful new treatment for sickle cell disease.

Now Nobel Prize-winning science, CRISPR gene editing is at the heart of the biotechnology industry’s latest Big Bang. It’s adaptable and efficient, putting the precise alteration of DNA within easy reach of academic scientists and drug startups alike.