Re:CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating b...
by eat_veggies on Saturday June 26, 2021 @03:54PM
(#27645229)
The paper linked in the article is titled "CRISPR-Cas9 In Vivo Gene Editing for Transthyretin Amyloidosis." That's close enough to your proposed title. If what you're looking for is a technical research paper meant for people intimately familiar with the field, then that's a great title.
But it's a terrible title for an article meant for laypeople like us. The words "transthyretin amyloidosis" are utterly meaningless to me and most HN/NPR readers, but "He Inherited A Devastating Disease" tells me what kind of disease it is (devastating, heritable) and why CRISPR gene editing might be a big deal.
It also helps clue me into the contents of the article. Because it is as much a summary of a key research result, as it is a profile of Patrick Doherty, a man affected by the disease. That's entirely missing from your title.
None of this is new. "Write for your audience" is as old as writing itself.
But it's a terrible title for an article meant for laypeople like us. The words "transthyretin amyloidosis" are utterly meaningless to me and most HN/NPR readers, but "He Inherited A Devastating Disease" tells me what kind of disease it is (devastating, heritable) and why CRISPR gene editing might be a big deal.
It also helps clue me into the contents of the article. Because it is as much a summary of a key research result, as it is a profile of Patrick Doherty, a man affected by the disease. That's entirely missing from your title.
None of this is new. "Write for your audience" is as old as writing itself.