Quiz: Significant breakthroughs in gene editing technology

1

In April 2015 a team of Chinese researchers from the southern city of Guangzhou set out to prove whether gene editing could help correct a specific gene deficiency that causes beta-thalassemia, a blood disease, by attempting to edit the DNA of fertilized eggs. What was the primary problem the researchers found while conducting the experiment?

They found traces of beta-thalassemia after they edited the gene
They found the method of gene editing was not accurate enough
The embryos would mutate once the gene was edited
The embryos would attempt to repair themselves after the gene was edited

1 / 8

2

In November 2015, a one-year-old girl called Layla was saved by gene editing for the first time in history. Layla was dying from leukemia and all previous conventional treatments had failed. Luckily within a few months, the cancerous cells in her bone marrow had been successfully killed off. The experiment was a risky option for Layla’s parents. What is the success rate of gene editing therapy for cancerous cells?

10 percent
35 percent
8 percent
25 percent

2 / 8

3

In August 2017 researchers in the U.S. safely repaired a gene deficiency in human embryos using a gene editing method. They targeted a particular heart defect that is related to the death of many young athletes. They used a type of gene editing tool to conduct the experiment, which tool did they use?

CRISPR-Cas system
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)
Transcription Activator-Like Effector-based Nucleases (TALENs)
Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs)

3 / 8

4

In October 2017, scientists at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing were able to use gene editing to create pigs with less fat. Now, some people may argue for and against having less fat in their pork products but what was the principal reason behind the scientists editing the pig genes?

To give newly born piglets a better chance of survival at a young age
It enables pigs to digest more food
It enables pigs to have leaner, healthier meat
It helps pigs become healthier and more immune to diseases

4 / 8

5

November 2017 was a significant time in the history of gene editing. Doctors in California did an experimental treatment on Brian Madeux, 44, from Arizona in order to correct a defect in his DNA that causes Hunter's syndrome. Why was this experimental treatment so significant?

It was the first time gene editing was performed successfully inside an organ
It was the first time a patient experienced no side effects after treatment
It was the first time the experimental treatment caused no brain damage
It was the first time DNA was edited inside a living human adult

5 / 8

6

In December 2017 scientists at Broad Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University were able to use gene editing to prevent a form of inherited deafness in mice. There is a particular breed of mice that suffers from the deafness mutation; what is it called?

Keller mouse
Beethoven mouse
Edisone mouse
Redmond mouse

6 / 8

7

On August 30 this year, gene editing was successfully used to fix muscular dystrophy in a particular animal that has been a friend to humans for a long time, but which animal did they perform the experiment on?

Cat
Horse
Dog
Pig

7 / 8

8

In September 2018 researchers at the Imperial College London used gene editing to successfully wipe out a population of mosquitoes in their lab. But what did scientists change in the insects’ genetics to allow them to successfully exterminate them?

They inserted a mutated gene that rots the mosquito’s internal organs
They altered part of a gene that stops females from reproducing
They inserted a gene that stops the desire for mosquitoes to draw blood
They altered part of a gene that determines whether a mosquito is male or female

8 / 8

Your Score

Let your friends and the world know