---
title: "[2019] Good news, everyone! "The brains of two genetically edited…"
date: 2021-02-18
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# [2019] Good news, everyone! "The brains of two genetically edited…

*February 18, 2021 · Facebook*

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[https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/](https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/){target="_blank"}
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\[2019\]\
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Good news, everyone!\
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\"The brains of two genetically edited girls born in China last year may have been changed in ways that enhance cognition and memory, scientists say.\
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The twins, called Lulu and Nana, reportedly had their genes modified before birth by a Chinese scientific team using the new editing tool CRISPR. The goal was to make the girls immune to infection by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.\
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Now, new research shows that the same alteration introduced into the girls' DNA, deletion of a gene called CCR5, not only makes mice smarter but also improves human brain recovery after stroke, and could be linked to greater success in school.\
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"The answer is likely yes, it did affect their brains," says Alcino J. Silva, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose lab uncovered a major new role for the CCR5 gene in memory and the brain's ability to form new connections. \"\
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[https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/](https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/137309/the-crispr-twins-had-their-brains-altered/){target="_blank"}
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