French-US duo of Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna win Nobel Prize for Chemistry

Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer Doudna of the United States have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for developing the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 DNA snipping 'scissors'.

This award makes them the fifth and sixth women to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

"Using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences, is contributing to new cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true," the Nobel jury said.

The CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors are gene technology's sharpest tools. According to a report by News18, using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants, and microorganisms with extremely high precision.  

The pair will share 10 million Swedish kronor (about $1.1 million).