A pair of researchers at MIT has developed what amounts to a "kill switch" for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Brian Caliando and Christopher Voigt describe the process they developed and how it might impact the development and use of GMOs.
GMOs have been in the news a lot of late, due to the fear by some that food produced in such a way might be harmful. Others fear that modified bacteria or viruses that make their way into the environment could prove disastrous.
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Ref: Targeted DNA degradation using a CRISPR device stably carried in the host genome. Nature Communications (2015) | DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7989
Researchers enable 'kill switch' for GMO's to self destruct if in the wrong environment
