Two women share the 2020 Nobel chemistry prize for work in genome editing, a technique described as “rewriting the code of life.”

The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools have revolutionized the molecular life sciences, brought new opportunities for plant breeding, are contributing to innovative cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true.

Charpentier, from France, and Doudna, from the US, are the first women to jointly win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and the sixth and seventh women to win the chemistry prize.