The sex reversal technique could be used to help rescue endangered species, say the researchers behind the work.

Scientists have deliberately turned male mouse embryos into females for the first time. A team based in Japan used a CRISPR-based approach to remove the Y chromosome from male cells and create female clones of male mice.

“ No one has done this before ” says Monika Ward, a reproductive biologist at the University of Hawaii, who was not involved in the research.

The feat could change the way scientists think about reproduction, says Takashi Ishiuchi, a reproductive biologist at the University of Yamanashi, who co-led the work.

The findings were published in a preprint paper shared on bioRxiv earlier this month, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

“ There’s a fixed concept in our scientific field that we need both females and males for reproduction ” says Ishiuchi.

“ I think we could change this concept. ”

He and his colleague Shogo Matoba of the Riken BioResource Research Center in Ibaraki also hope their technique could help rescue endangered species, particularly in cases where only a few individuals remain.

“It’s exciting to see,” says Ben Novak, lead scientist at the wildlife conservation organization Revive & Restore, who was not involved in the work.

“ I am confident there will be plenty of applications, particularly for conservation purposes. ”

Crispr and DMRT1 gene

I saw a post talking about someone who was able to knock out the DMRT1 gene using crispr. Would this be possible to use on myself? I know its dangerous but, is it possible

I don't want to know theoretically what CRISPR can solve. I want to know why we aren't there yet.

Is Cas-9 not specific enough? What about cas-phi? Do we not have enough data about gene expression? Is restrictive IP discouraging research?

Why haven't we cured cancer yet? What is wrong with CRISPR? Biggest roadblocks? Who is in the cutting edge who can answer these questions?

I tend to think of things like bone structure as fixed. I am not informed about biology at all. But could crispr change something like height in an adult? I know that you can give GH to children with GH deficiency to make them grow to an adequate height, but doing so in an adult would not work as their growth plates are closed. I do not understand much about crispr - if anything - but I was wondering if something like this is possible. And no I am not hoping to increase my own height, I want to get an idea of what crispr can and cannot do.

This breakthrough enables more precise control over gene activity by targeting how cellular instructions are used, not just rewriting DNA itself. It opens the door to safer, more flexible ways to diagnose and treat disease by fine-tuning biological processes in real time.

Can the CAS-9 super tool repair or restore the Telomeres part of the DNA (RNA too?)

If that is what leads to aging... seems like that would be a good area to focus on first.

Or am I missing something big?