Science and Technology › Biotechnology
Genomics, gene editing and cell therapy
Genomics and the therapies built on it: genome projects, gene editing, gene and cell therapy, stem cells and their regulation, epigenetics and the microbiome. Prelims has asked about the GenomeIndia Project and what somatic cell nuclear transfer is used for.
UPSC has asked
- Prelims 2026: the GenomeIndia Project
- Prelims 2017: what somatic cell nuclear transfer is used for
Showing 1 of 5 subjects, those that changed from 16 to 31 July 2026.Show all
Base editing
Copy link to Base editingPrelims and Mains
Base editing, developed in 2016, converts one DNA letter into another without cutting both strands, unlike CRISPR-Cas9, so it should cause fewer unintended changes. Delivery to the brain needs large doses of adeno associated viruses, which can provoke a severe immune reaction.
What changed
26 Jul 2026New subject
- A six year old girl in China with a rare disorder caused by the CHD3 gene died after what is thought to be the first base editing therapy directed at the brain. It ran as a hospital trial that needed no review by the national drug regulator, and her parents funded much of it.
Mains: the gap was between the rules and their enforcement, as with He Jiankui's embryo editing in 2018.
UPSC has asked
- Prelims 2020: germline editing and human induced pluripotent stem cells in a pig embryo