New CRISPR Research Enables Editing 25 Genes Simultaneously

Jeff Brown
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Aug 29, 2019
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Bleeding Edge
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6 min read

Dear Reader,

The markets are breathing another sigh of relief. China’s Ministry of Commerce emphasized early this morning that it hopes to prevent any further escalation in the trade negotiations with the U.S. Additional face-to-face talks are expected in September.

At the same time, a Chinese official stated that it plans to release an “unreliable-entity list.” This is a list of foreign businesses that would have restrictions when conducting business with Chinese entities.

This initiative is very similar to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List, which prohibits certain business transactions between U.S. entities and any named companies on the list.

China’s pursuit of an unreliable-entity list is bad economic policy. It will scare foreign direct investment from mainland China… which has been a bedrock for China’s economic growth over the last three decades.

It is odd to me that it gets so little press. The collaboration between the West and China has been a major part of the global economic boom that has occurred over the last 30 years.

The U.S. and European companies produce advanced technologies like semiconductors, materials, and other electronic components that are a big part of China’s manufacturing industry as well.

Let’s hope for successful negotiations between the two countries in the coming weeks and a return to an even better trade environment for the high-tech industry.

I’ll continue to monitor the negotiations. For now, let’s turn to our insights.

Where I get my information…

I’m often asked where I get my information for my research. It’s not an easy question to answer. For any area of technology, there is rarely ever just one source.

I literally use hundreds of sources every month, which includes my network built up over the last 30 years of hard work in high tech.

But something interesting popped up on my radar during the last few days…

A company called Smith + Crown just launched a fantastic intelligence platform. It provides independent analysis on hundreds of projects in the digital assets space – in other words, cryptocurrency projects. This new platform has become a key place for me to go for research on digital assets.

And I love that Smith + Crown is independent… just like us at Legacy Research (and Bonner & Partners). Like us, it doesn’t take money from advertisers. Its research is objective, unbiased, and excellent.

And the best part is that the research is made available to everyone for free. There are no subscriptions. No hidden costs. We can access its work right on the site. If you are interested, you can see the platform for yourself right here.

One of the features I really like is its list of “Signal” projects. This is a list of the top cryptocurrency projects, according to its research.

These projects passed all the criteria its analysts outlined as important in the industry. And it’s a quick way to avoid wasting time on lower-quality projects and instead focus on the ones that show the most promise.

Smith + Crown Site


Source: Smith + Crown

Also, the research reports that this group puts together are some of the best in the industry. And the work that Smith + Crown does on cryptoeconomics stands out compared to anything I’ve seen to date.

So Smith + Crown is one of my go-to sources of information on digital assets. For any investors interested in this space, Smith + Crown is a gold mine of information. I’m looking forward to seeing the platform get even better over time.

Yet another CRISPR breakthrough…

A research paper published by ETH Zurich just demonstrated how CRISPR can target 25 different genes at the same time… with a single therapy. This is big news…

I see CRISPR as a software editing platform for DNA. It has the ability to “edit” or correct unhealthy mutations in the DNA of plants, animals, and humans.

But the biggest knock on CRISPR from its critics is that it can only target one gene at a time. They say CRISPR would not be able to address the more complex genetic diseases.

Of course, that’s never been my position. I said in a February 2016 research report that CRISPR would eradicate all genetic disease. And this paper coming out of Zurich is a big proof point.

Without too many technical details, here’s an explanation: Researchers used the Cas12a enzyme rather than the standard Cas9 enzyme most widely used to date. It’s just a slight tweak. The underlying CRISPR platform is still the same. But essentially, the Cas12a can direct itself to multiple targeted genes instead of just one.

The implication is that a patient wouldn’t have to undergo 25 separate therapies to fix all the mutated genes. One specialized CRISPR therapy is all it would take.

And by using different enzymes like this, the researchers predict CRISPR will eventually be able to target hundreds of genes with a single, specialized therapy.

If we want to identify the Ebola virus remotely, we use CRISPR in a particular way. If we want to treat brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, we use CRISPR in another way. And if we want to correct a genetic mutation for blindness, we use CRISPR in that specific way.

[Editor’s note: A company is using CRISPR to cure blindness… this calendar year. This provides savvy tech investors with an excellent opportunity. Paid-up members of my technology trading service, Early Stage Trader, can learn more here. New readers can join Early Stage Trader right here.]

To me, this research indicates that there is no limit to what CRISPR can do. The tech can be optimized to tackle any diseases caused by genetic mutations.

CISA is ramping up cybersecurity ahead of the 2020 elections…

The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is ramping up efforts to increase security ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. It’s not often that I compliment a government agency, but I think this is a good move.

This effort is driven by the attempts to influence the 2016 elections… most notably the involvement of Russian hackers. According to a Bloomberg report, Russian hackers hit 39 states in 2016. CISA wants that number to be zero in 2020.

That’s why CISA is determined to limit external influences this time around. To that end, it is working with state election officials to tighten up their systems.

It will do penetration testing and vulnerability scans starting next month. The goal is to make sure there’s no malware in the system… and to protect us from future cyberattacks.

I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. The threat runs much deeper than simply flipping a vote. Successful hacks can modify voter lists… cause chaotic delays… and even spread misinformation. These things could cause Americans to question the validity of any election.

CISA is also working to make sure each individual voter is validated and eligible to vote. There were a lot of concerns about unregistered voters in the 2016 election. That’s something that should be addressed at the systems level.

Naturally, the democratic process in any country cannot work effectively unless the voting process can be trusted. Every voter needs to be registered and confirmed. The systems need to be secure and tamperproof.

The 2016 elections raised awareness on this topic. This is a critical issue for any election taking place around the world in any democratic society.

Regards,

Jeff Brown
Editor, The Bleeding Edge

P.S. Some of you may have heard the name Teeka Tiwari. Teeka is a friend and a colleague. He’s also a dedicated analyst who’s always done right by his readers. I mention Teeka because he recently uncovered an investment opportunity you should hear about. It involves a catalyst unfolding on October 31 and three trades with potentially triple-digit upside.

Teeka is giving all the details during a presentation tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. If you’d like to get all the details, you can go right here.


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