Samuel H. Sternberg

Stories

Bacterial antiviral enzyme builds DNA repeats like telomerase

Leading the DRT10 research program

Bacteria fight viruses with an enzyme that writes repetitive DNA from an RNA template. The system, called DRT10, works much like telomerase, the enzyme that protects chromosome ends in humans and most other eukaryotes.

Updated Oct 12

Notable Quotes

Instead of cutting DNA like CRISPR, or swapping one letter of genetic code like base editors, this system uses RNA as a template to write new sequences of DNA. That gives us a different starting point for building tools to engineer cells.

from Bacterial antiviral enzyme builds DNA repeats like telomerase · Updated Oct 12

It's early days, but we're excited by the possibility of turning a bacterial defense enzyme into a tool to rebuild protective DNA at chromosome ends.

from Bacterial antiviral enzyme builds DNA repeats like telomerase · Updated Oct 12