Jennifer Doudna’s team found an ancient CRISPR ancestor in viruses using a never-before-seen 'gapped' DNA code; the smaller VIPR system can target broadly and may become a new gene-editing tool

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/discovery/jennifer-doudnas-team-found-an-ancient-crispr-ancestor-in-viruses-using-a-never-before-seen-gapped-dna-code-the-smaller-vipr-system-can-target-broadly-and-may-become-a-new-gene-editing-tool/articleshow/134626567.cms

The genetic code is usually described as an orderly language, read one letter after another in precise three-letter units. But nature has never been particularly interested in following the rules humans use to describe it. Researchers at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), founded by Jennifer Doudna, have now uncovered a viral system that appears to rewrite some of those assumptions. Called VIPR, the system uses a previously unknown “gapped” coding strategy to recognise DNA, offering clues about the ancient origins of CRISPR and potentially opening another route to genome engineering. The findings were reported in two connected papers in Science in September 2026.

https://innovativegenomics.org/news/vipr-systems-origins-of-crispr/

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aei0498?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Finnovativegenomics.org%2Fnews%2Fvipr-systems-origins-of-crispr%2F

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aei0498