top of page
All Posts


Gene Editing Is Moving Beyond Breakthroughs and Into Infrastructure
The Week's Biggest Signal: Gene Editing Is Starting to Look Like a Product Category For years, gene editing has been judged mainly by whether it could work at all. Could CRISPR cut the right target? Could a base editor fix a disease-linked letter? Could a therapy produce a measurable effect in animals or a small group of patients? That question is no longer enough. This week, the strongest signal came from Intellia Therapeutics, which reported positive Phase 3 results for lon
Vasili Balios
Apr 306 min read


Genetic Engineering Is Starting to Work With Biology, Not Just Against It.
The Week's Biggest Signal: Precision Now Means Understanding Context. Gene editing has spent years proving that it can change DNA. That part is no longer the main question. The more important question now is whether it can make the right change in the right biological setting, at a cost and scale that matter outside a headline-grabbing first patient. That is why the strongest source this week was not a flashy clinical trial result, but a Nature comment published on April 21 a
Vasili Balios
Apr 225 min read


Genetic Engineering's Clinical Turn Is Starting to Look Real
The Week's Biggest Signal: Gene Editing Is Being Forced to Grow Up For years, the story of genetic engineering has been about what might be possible. This week felt different. The most interesting developments were not just flashy demonstrations of editing power. They were signs that the field is being pushed toward something harder and more valuable: real clinical usefulness. The clearest example came from a personalized CRISPR-Cas9 strategy for beta-thalassaemia, published
Vasili Balios
Apr 145 min read


Genetic engineering of strawberries in Norway.
This year we are kicking off with a talk from Steven Zwartkruis! Steven is a fourth year PhD student at NTNU in Trondheim. One of his PhD projects concerns the genetic modification of the woodland strawberry ( Fragaria vesca ). To that end, he was trained in the lab of Prof. Timo Hytönen in Helsinki, Finland. Steven will introduce his PhD project and describe his experience in vector design, gRNA design and tissue culture. He will also suggest future improvements and invites
Vasili Balios
Jan 61 min read