These words are included in the new Genome Editing Vocabulary.
Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST
Genome editing can cure diseases, boost food production and open vast new fields of scientific discovery. But to realize its full potential, scientists need to precisely describe the details of their genome editing attempts to one another and the wider world.
For instance, if a company is developing a new gene therapy for use in the United States, it needs to tell the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) what the product does and demonstrate that it is safe and effective. Scientists could do that more precisely if they had a standard set of terms and definitions.
As of recently, they have one. In November 2021 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the Genome Editing Vocabulary — an internationally agreed-upon list of 42 precisely defined terms that will help scientists from all over the world avoid errors of communication. (The word “genome” refers to all the inherited DNA in an organism.)
This effort was spearheaded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Genome Editing Consortium — an international group of industry, academic and government scientists who work in this field. NIST first convened the consortium in 2018 so that experts and organizations that often compete with one another would have a venue for collaborating on standards that advance the field for all. The FDA joined the consortium last year.
The Genome Editing Vocabulary is the first international standard for this field. The consortium is currently working on others, including standards for data sharing and physical sta ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
