While many students across the nation learned to do lab experiments at home this year, Menlo’s Advanced Topics in Biology students took it to the next level, using Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR technology to perform gene-editing experiments in their own homes during remote learning. Using carefully developed kits and safety protocols, students disabled a gene in safe, non-pathogenic E. coli bacteria using donor DNA. Students gained serious lab skills, as well as a grounding in the ethical implications and future potential of this revolutionary technology.

On October 7, 2020, CRISPR creators Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking discovery. It has been hailed for its potential applications in agriculture, medicine, public health, and even bioenergy.

Teacher Tanya Buxton says that the method’s far-reaching potential, combined with its simplicity, is what makes it so exciting for students: “They can do it in their kitchen. It’s accessible! People could do this in fairly simple labs. That’s going to make this technology accessible around the world and is going to solve so many problems.”